A Pune woman has revealed that she and her family of three spend ₹2.2 lakh per month on average A Pune woman has revealed that she and her family of three spend ₹2.2 lakh per month on average — despite the fact that they own an EV which doesn’t need petrol and they do most of their own cooking. Smriti Singh’s video sparked a discussion on Pune’s cost-of-living and lifestyle creeps.A Pune woman breaks down her family's monthly expenses. (Instagram/@beingmomofficial)The Pune woman revealed that she and her husband both work and have a young son.“We both work. We cook our own food. We don’t even spend on petrol because we have an EV. Even so, we end up spending ₹2.2 lakh per month. Let me tell you how,” Singh said in her now-viral Instagram video.Breaking down expensesFirst up, a large chunk of their monthly income goes towards rent, for which they pay ₹28,000 per month.Rent is not the biggest component of their expenses, though. Smriti Singh explained that since she works from home, she sends her son to daycare for four to five hours a day. For this, she pays ₹30,000 per month.(Also read: Gurgaon couple breaks down monthly expenses with ₹37,000 rent)Groceries, including milk, take up another ₹20,000. Going out and eating at restaurants costs roughly ₹15,000.Their internet bill is a modest ₹500, but electricity bill takes up ₹6,000 due to the heat in Pune.The biggest expenseSingh said that she and her husband spend approximately ₹3,000 per month ordering food from Zomato or Swiggy. They allocate roughly ₹10,000 per month for shopping, which also includes shopping for their son.They employ a maid who takes ₹1,800 as salary.Finally, Singh revealed the biggest expense — she and her husband pay ₹1.1 lakh per month as EMI for a flat.Sharing the breakdown on Instagram, the Pune woman asked whether spending ₹2.2 lakh as a family of three is normal.“Are we overspending or is this the new normal?” she asked.Video sparks debateThe video sparked a heated debate on Instagram as hundreds of people questioned her spending.“EMI is a major chunk and 30k for day care was a little hyped up. Pune max daycare fee is 15k and nursery will be like another 6k monthly,” wrote one person.“As you’re working from home, and you’re still sending your child to daycare that itself, says a lot about how you guys think about financial management..” another wrote.“EMI is too high, almost half of your total expenses,” a user pointed out. “I think, a cook can save your dining out and Zomato expense. We did the same,” another suggested.A clarificationMany viewers said that the daycare cost in particular seemed inflated. Many more wondered why the couple was paying rent and EMI at the same time.Smriti Singh offered a clarification for both. She explained that the flat for which they are paying EMIs is still under construction, which is why she and her family live on rent. Daycare costs, she added, are normal for a city like Pune.“Daycare costs around 30,000 and includes the nursery fee. In areas like Viman Nagar and Kalyani Nagar, these are the usual prices. Some people feel my rent is low, but rents in such locations are actually quite high. So if you live in a good area, this kind of expense is normal. And I’m paying EMI because the house is still under construction. I hope this clears all the doubts,” she wrote.Sanya Jain is an Assistant Editor with Hindustan Times Digital. She has nearly a decade of experience in covering offbeat stories that speak to the everyday experience - from viral videos to human interest copies that spark conversation. Her interests stretch across business, pop culture, social media trends, entertainment and global affairs.