{"id":5780,"date":"2026-07-14T10:00:38","date_gmt":"2026-07-14T05:00:38","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5780"},"modified":"2026-07-14T10:00:38","modified_gmt":"2026-07-14T05:00:38","slug":"everyone-thinks-iim-rich-lifestyle-student-breaks-down-his-actual-monthly-spend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/?p=5780","title":{"rendered":"\u2018Everyone thinks IIM = rich lifestyle\u2019: Student breaks down his \u2018actual monthly spend\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><script>\r\n  atOptions = {\r\n    'key' : '644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6',\r\n    'format' : 'iframe',\r\n    'height' : 90,\r\n    'width' : 728,\r\n    'params' : {}\r\n  };\r\n<\/script>\r\n<script src=\"https:\/\/www.highperformanceformat.com\/644b717812d811d6a1c1fc5b6ccd6fa6\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"storyParagraphFigure\">\n<p class=\"content\">A <a class=\"backlink\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/topic\/viral-video\" data-vars-page-type=\"story\" data-vars-link-type=\"Manual\" data-vars-anchor-text=\"viral video\">viral video<\/a> by IIM Ahmedabad student Vivek Kundu detailing his  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>24,000 monthly budget has ignited a conversation about the true cost of living at premier B-schools. While social media users debated whether such high expenses are worth it for middle-class students, Kundu told Hindustantimes.com that this particular month sat at the higher end of his usual  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>15,000 to  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>25,000 range.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"artImage leadImage\">\n<div class=\" \"><picture class=\"leadImageClass\"><source media=\"(min-width:768px)\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/ht-img\/img\/2026\/07\/14\/550x309\/IIM_Student_Monthly_Spend_Viral_Video_Instagram_1783994170736_1783994182335_2aa30576-358c-4792-a613-014fe3845e21.jpg\" alt=\"The IIM Ahmedabad student who shared a video documenting his monthly expenses. (Instagram\/@vivekkundu99)\"\/><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/ht-img\/img\/2026\/07\/14\/400x225\/IIM_Student_Monthly_Spend_Viral_Video_Instagram_1783994170736_1783994182335_2aa30576-358c-4792-a613-014fe3845e21.jpg\" alt=\"The IIM Ahmedabad student who shared a video documenting his monthly expenses. (Instagram\/@vivekkundu99)\" title=\"The IIM Ahmedabad student who shared a video documenting his monthly expenses. (Instagram\/@vivekkundu99)\" width=\"360\" height=\"202\" loading=\"eager\"\/><\/picture><\/div><figcaption class=\"\">The IIM Ahmedabad student who shared a video documenting his monthly expenses. (Instagram\/@vivekkundu99)<span\/><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"content \">\u201cIIM Ahmedabad student here. I try to keep my monthly expenses under  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>25,000 &#8211; sometimes I manage, sometimes I don\u2019t. This month?  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>24,000,\u201d Vivek Kundu wrote while sharing a video.<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \"><strong>Also Read: <\/strong><a class=\"backlink\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/trending\/iim-ahmedabad-student-reflects-on-the-hidden-cost-of-1st-year-it-came-in-the-form-of-casualties-101783249717177.html#google_vignette\" data-vars-page-type=\"story\" data-vars-link-type=\"Manual\" data-vars-anchor-text=\"IIM Ahmedabad student reflects on the \u2018hidden costs\u2019 of 1st year: 'It came in the form of casualties'\"><strong>IIM Ahmedabad student reflects on the \u2018hidden costs\u2019 of 1st year: &#8216;It came in the form of casualties&#8217;<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"content \">The clip captures snippets of his life as he explains his monthly budget. Kundu shared that he spent  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>14,000 on food. On top of that, he also spent almost  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>3,500 on Swiggy and DMart combined.<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \">The <a class=\"backlink\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/topic\/student\" data-vars-page-type=\"story\" data-vars-link-type=\"Manual\" data-vars-anchor-text=\"student\">student<\/a> then revealed the amounts spent on stationery, haircuts, social life, transportation, sports, medicine, and subscriptions.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"content \">\n<h2>How did social media react?<\/h2>\n<p>An individual questioned, \u201c24k*24 months (there will be Holidays but let&#8217;s adjust them with the extra expenses on festivals) = 5,76,000rs. + Fees. Is it really worth it for a middle-class student?? I know it&#8217;s worth it, but just asking from a middle-class student pov.\u201d Another posted, \u201cHappy to see that you are actually spending money and taking care of yourself.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p class=\"content \">A third commented, \u201c <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>25,000 a month is expensive.\u201d A fourth wrote, \u201cWhy did you not opt for hostel mess food?\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \"><strong>Also Read: <\/strong><a class=\"backlink\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/trending\/iim-alum-says-indians-have-a-scarcity-mindset-after-seeing-airport-lounge-queue-internet-divided-101782725983561.html\" data-vars-page-type=\"story\" data-vars-link-type=\"Manual\" data-vars-anchor-text=\"IIM alum says Indians have a \u2018scarcity mindset\u2019 after seeing airport lounge queue, internet divided\"><strong>IIM alum says Indians have a \u2018scarcity mindset\u2019 after seeing airport lounge queue, internet divided<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p class=\"content \">While talking about his spending habits, Kundu told Hindustantimes.com, \u201cAt first glance, the monthly expense may seem quite high, but the figures I shared are on the upper end and can certainly be reduced. For instance, opting for the mess subscription can reduce food expenses by around 50\u201360%. My D-Mart and Blinkit expenses were also unusually high because I had just returned from vacation and had to purchase several essentials, most of which were one-time expenses. A few other categories are discretionary as well, so with better planning, monthly expenses can comfortably be kept around  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>15,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \">He continued, \u201cPersonally, my monthly expenses have been between the range of  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>15,000 and  <span class=\"webrupee\">\u20b9<\/span>25,000.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"content \">He added, \u201cAs for financing, many students primarily rely on education loans. In addition, merit- and need-based scholarships, prize money from case competitions and other contests, summer internship stipends, and savings from previous work experience also help students manage the overall cost.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<script async=\"async\" data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"https:\/\/pl30214220.effectivecpmnetwork.com\/9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\/invoke.js\"><\/script>\r\n<div id=\"container-9ab3d4df8a7e1a6171e16ddbf732cc19\"><\/div>\r\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>A viral video by IIM Ahmedabad student Vivek Kundu detailing his \u20b924,000 monthly budget has ignited a conversation about the true cost of living at premier B-schools. While social media users debated whether such high expenses are worth it for middle-class students, Kundu told Hindustantimes.com that this particular month sat at the higher end of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":5781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.hindustantimes.com\/ht-img\/img\/2026\/07\/14\/550x309\/IIM_Student_Monthly_Spend_Viral_Video_Instagram_1783994170736_1783994182335_2aa30576-358c-4792-a613-014fe3845e21.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-5780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-real-trending-viral-news"],"brizy_media":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/5781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=5780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/usnews-14267fa.ingress-comporellon.ewp.live\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=5780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}