Techie tries to buy a Gurgaon flat but finds even his Rs 1.2 lakh in-hand salary with no responsibilities not good enough

In today’s India, earning Rs 20 lakh per annum is often seen as the benchmark of financial comfort. But a recent viral post on X has struck a chord with thousands, exposing the grim reality of urban homeownership, even for high earners. Shared by a user named Akhilesh, the post details how a friend living in Gurgaon, despite a hefty Rs 20 LPA CTC and frugal lifestyle, still finds himself priced out of the real estate market.

In the tweet, Akhilesh writes about his friend’s predicament: no car, no children, modest lifestyle, yet every real estate project he visits starts at a steep Rs 2.5 crore. “If he buys this, he has to live paycheck to paycheck. No buffer. No vacations. No emergencies,” the tweet reads. Despite being in the top 5% of Indian earners, the post suggests, owning a decent home in a metro city remains out of reach, highlighting a growing mismatch between income and urban housing prices.

Netizens react

The post quickly caught fire online, igniting a flurry of responses that reflect the simmering frustration among India’s salaried middle class. One user echoed the sentiment, writing, “It's wild how even a high salary feels inadequate in certain cities. Many people are in the same boat, juggling expenses while trying to save. It makes you question what success means nowadays.”

Another pointed out the long-term burden of luxury add-ons like “infinity pools, zen gardens, biometric lifts”, which not only inflate the purchase cost but also hike up monthly maintenance charges in the future.

The discussion also took a broader economic turn, with one user arguing, “He earns more than 95% of Indians. That means 7 crore people earn more than him, and a significant portion live in metro cities like Delhi. That’s lakhs of families competing for premium housing. Demand is simply outpacing supply.”

While some suggested that renting is a smarter option in the current climate, others questioned the societal obsession with homeownership. One user summed it up: “Rent pe raho. Don’t buy a home right now. Save up. Invest. You buy a home when you can afford it, not according to your whims and fancies."