Average Monthly Expenses in Bangalore for a Software Engineer (2025)

The real cost of living in Bangalore

Bangalore has become one of India's most expensive cities for working professionals. A software engineer earning ₹15–25 LPA takes home ₹95,000–₹1,60,000/month after tax — and a significant chunk disappears faster than expected.

Rent: ₹18,000–₹35,000/month

The biggest variable. 1BHK in Koramangala/Indiranagar/HSR Layout: ₹25,000–₹35,000. Same in Whitefield/Electronic City: ₹18,000–₹24,000. Sharing with flatmates drops this to ₹12,000–₹18,000 per person. Society maintenance adds ₹1,500–₹3,000/month.

Food: ₹8,000–₹18,000/month

Home cooking: ₹6,000–₹8,000/month (groceries from BigBasket/Zepto). Eating out 3–4x/week + Swiggy/Zomato 4–5x: adds ₹8,000–₹12,000. Office canteen subsidised food saves ₹3,000–₹5,000 for those in office.

Transport: ₹3,000–₹8,000/month

Metro (if on the route): ₹1,500–₹2,500. Ola/Uber daily: ₹4,000–₹7,000. Own bike + petrol: ₹2,500–₹4,000. Company cab: ₹0–₹1,500 (for pickup/drop contribution).

Utilities: ₹2,500–₹4,500/month

Electricity: ₹800–₹1,500. Broadband (ACT/Airtel): ₹700–₹1,200. Mobile: ₹300–₹600. Gas (LPG): ₹400–₹700.

Entertainment & Lifestyle: ₹5,000–₹12,000/month

OTT subscriptions (Netflix, Hotstar, Prime): ₹800–₹1,500. Weekend outings, cafes, pubs: ₹3,000–₹8,000. Gym/fitness: ₹1,000–₹3,000.

Total range

Frugal lifestyle: ₹35,000–₹45,000/month. Comfortable lifestyle: ₹55,000–₹75,000/month. Premium lifestyle: ₹80,000–₹1,20,000/month.

Savings potential

On a ₹1,20,000 take-home, a comfortable lifestyle leaves ₹45,000–₹65,000 for savings and investments. Track your actual Bangalore expenses on RozHisab to compare against these numbers.