How much salary is 'truly enough'? Breakdown shows why most get it wrong

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n a world where salary discussions are becoming louder than ever, a new framework shared by financial expert Vijay Maheshwari is cutting through the noise with one simple message:

Your ideal salary is not a number — it’s a lifestyle choice. 

Your “enough” isn’t a number — it’s a lifestyle choice.

 

The above infographic shared by Maheshwari on LinkedIn breaks down what it actually costs for a solo earner to live a Basic, Comfortable, or Ideal life in a Tier-1 city in 2025 — and the ranges reveal just how far perception differs from reality.

 

Monthly Expenses: What It Really Takes to Live in a Tier-1 City

 

Maheshwari’s table outlines the key expense buckets most young earners fail to account for: housing, groceries, transport, lifestyle spending, healthcare and investments. Based on these, the minimum monthly needs look like this:

 

Basic life: ₹34,000–₹40,000

 

A modest 1BHK, bare-bones lifestyle, essential health cover, and minimal savings.

 

Comfortable life: ₹50,000–₹70,000

 

Balanced lifestyle, better mobility and healthcare choices, and slightly stronger savings.

 

Ideal life: ₹90,000–₹1.2 lakh+

 

Premium lifestyle, higher discretionary spending, strong health cover, and serious wealth-building investments.  Across all tiers, expenses are shaped by a few big buckets: rent, groceries, utilities, transport, lifestyle spending, health insurance, and investments — with rent alone stretching from ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 depending on the standard of living.

 

The key insight?

A “comfortable” life doesn’t actually require a massive salary — but an “ideal” life demands intentional financial planning.

 

What Decides Your “Enough”?

 

The infographic breaks it down into five real-world factors: 

The analysis highlights that “enough” is never a fixed amount. Five major factors dictate whether ₹40,000 feels manageable or whether you realistically need over ₹1.5 lakh.

 

1. City Tier

 

Metros demand higher rent and transport costs.

Small towns stretch your money much further.

 

2. Dependents

 

A single person, a couple, a family with kids, or someone supporting parents — each has a very different financial equation.

 

3. Existing EMIs

 

Loans for education, home, or car can swallow 30–40% of monthly income before anything else.

 

4. Life Goals

 

Buying a home, travelling more, upgrading lifestyle, or planning early retirement all affect how much you need.

 

5. Savings Rate

 

A minimum of 20% investing is recommended — and this alone can shift you from one category to another.

   

Together, these determine whether ₹40,000 feels abundant or ₹1.5 lakh still feels tight.

 

What Salary Should You Aim For in 2025?

 

Maheshwari categorises 2025 salary ambitions into four practical bands:

 

₹35k–₹45k: Freshers & small-town living

 

₹50k–₹70k: Solo earners in Tier-2/Tier-1 (Basic to Comfortable)

 

₹80k–₹1.2L: Tier-1 professionals planning future goals

 

₹1.5L+: Families, kids & long-term wealth building

 

The takeaway is crystal clear:

You don’t need a “high salary” — you need the right salary for the life you want.

 

The Psychology Behind “Enough”

 

Most Indians carry a vague salary target — ₹1L, ₹2L, or “double what I earn now.” But Maheshwari’s framework forces a shift from emotional guessing to mathematical clarity.

 

The biggest mistake young earners make?

Overestimating how far their salary will stretch in a metro…

or underestimating how affordable life can be in a Tier-2 city.