Bengaluru Man Says 'My Rent Will Soon Exceed My Salary' After 7.5% Pay Hike
Recently, an X user from Bengaluru shared frustration, claiming that although his pay had risen by 7.5%, his landlord had increased the rent by 10%.
Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India] March 31: Many people were moved by a social media post which revealed a growing gap between Bengaluru's salaries and rent increases, which sparked discussions about rising costs of living in major cities.
Recently, an X user from Bengaluru shared frustration, claiming that although his pay had grown by 7.5%, his landlord had increased the rent by 10%. Concerned about the growing gap, he said that if it kept going, his rent would eventually be greater than his income.
Check out his post here:
Salary hike I received was 7.5% meanwhile BLR landlord increased the rent by 10%.
If this goes on, someday my rent will become more than salary. — Ray (@sde_ray) March 28, 2025
His message got popular, with many people expressing similar worries about salaries that are flat and not maintaining up with inflation.
How did users of X respond?
Vivek Khatri, one user, called the scenario a "urban scam," noting that "rent hikes sprint while salary growth crawls." A 7.5% increase seems reasonable until the power bill rises by 12%, the rent by 10%, and the price of milk by 15%. If things continue this way, your landlord will eventually make more money than you do. In addition, he referred to it as "lifestyle taxation without legislation."
Many additional people entered the conversation, some jokingly stating that it was time to switch the landlord and the company. "Getting a job in Bengaluru onsite is becoming less and less profitable," said a different customer. A third person commented, "There should be a separate full-time course on how to become a landlord."
Some users contended that, given the state of the economy, a pay increase of less than 10% was unjustified. "Inflation data is suppressed by authorities, and companies use it to justify minimal hikes," one user said. Meanwhile, it's become the norm for rent, groceries, and other essentials to rise by 10% year over year. It's time to confront the reality of living in a city.
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