₹1.2L for rent in Gurgaon to 20,000 for 'air pollution' meds: Russian creator’s cost of living goes viral

Social media is a place where even the most unexpected conversations go viral and become the talk of the town, and recently, one such post went viral around the cost of living in India.

A video posted by a Russian woman living in Gurugram talked about ‘How cheap it is to live in India’ and ignited a conversation about the same across social media platforms, raising eyebrows over what’s considered “basic” when it comes to monthly expenses in the country.While India is often thought of as a relatively affordable place to live, especially for foreigners, the reality can vary wildly depending on location, lifestyle choices, and expectations.

What some might see as luxury, others may genuinely see as necessary for their well-being or comfort.

The Russian woman shared her list of monthly expenses

A Russian content creator living in Gurugram became popular on social media after posting a video detailing her “basic monthly expenses” in India. Shared on Instagram by Viktoriia Kovan, she said, “They say life in India is soooo cheap… Also, my basic monthly expenses in Gurugram”. In the clip, Viktoriia lists her regular monthly expenses as, ₹1,20,000 for accommodation, ₹1,000 per Uber Black ride, ₹15,000 on electricity, ₹30,000 for shopping, ₹20,000 for medicine, ₹40,000 for groceries.

She captioned the video, “Real facts, prepare your pockets to maintain a good lifestyle in Gurgaon.”Unsurprisingly, the numbers caught viewers off guard. One user commented, “120000 for flat!??? You live in heaven or something?? Need a room tour ASAP.” Viktoriia responded, “I’m living in 1bhk,” adding that her claims were genuine and not exaggerated: “No, actually it’s true.”

As the users criticised her on her post, she replied. “Guys, I’m not complaining, just giving facts.

To maintain a good lifestyle, you need to prepare your pockets”.Some users pointed out that her spending seemed more like personal preference than necessity. One Instagram user suggested, “Maybe take a regular Uber instead of a black? Find an apartment with lower rent if it’s too high? Most of these seem like active choices rather than the baseline? And this is coming from someone in Mumbai.”To this, Viktoriia simply replied, “I don't want to reduce my costs; I'm just telling the facts.”Another user was shocked by her medical expenses, asking, “Medicine 20000? What? What are you suffering from?” Viktoriia responded, “Air pollution.”While many laughed off her spending as luxury disguised as necessity, Viktoriia stood her ground, saying, “I clearly wrote ‘my basic expenses’, it’s about my experience in India.”