Greater Noida (Business Desk): Ray, a software engineer from Bengaluru, recently expressed his concern over the growing disparity in salary hikes and rents. His post sparked a wider discussion on the financial difficulties faced by urban professionals.
Ray posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account, explaining that he had received a 7.5% salary hike, but his landlord increased the rent by 10%. This worried him, as he believed that at this rate, his rent could soon surpass his entire income. “The salary hike I received was 7.5%, while my landlord increased the rent by 10%. At this rate, one day my rent could exceed my salary,” he wrote. Ray’s post encouraged discussion on the rising cost of living and salary imbalance for professionals living in cities.
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
Rising inflation and salary hike situation in cities
Supporting Ray’s concern, several other users expressed their opinions. Terming it a “modern urban scam”, one user said, “Salary growth is slowing down while rents are increasing rapidly.” Similarly, another user also said, “This is true for most IT employees in Bangalore and Hyderabad. Half of our salary goes in paying rent and half in taxes.” These comments made it clear that the rising cost of rent and living has become a big problem for professionals living in urban areas. In Bengaluru and other big cities, where a large number of IT professionals reside, there is growing concern about this imbalance.
Users expressed concern
Many users expressed their concern over the issue of inflation and salary hike. Some said that they have received even lesser salary hike than last year, while others argued that companies should give salary hikes of at least 10% to cover the impact of inflation. One user even said, “Any salary hike of less than 10% is a crime,” alleging that inflation figures are often understated while essential commodities such as rent and ration items are getting costlier at a rate of 10% or more.
Data-driven approach
During the discussion, some users resorted to data and one user estimated Ray’s rent to be more than his salary. Using X’s AI assistant, Grok, he said, “Grok says it will take 23 years for your rent to be more than your salary.” This data-driven approach gave a new twist to the debate and made it clear that the solution to the economic imbalance directly depends on government policies and company salary setting. Ray’s post and the discussion based on it proved that the gap between rent and salary is increasing for professionals living in Bengaluru and other metro cities. Moving forward on this issue requires attention to the rising cost of urban living and inflation, so that the living conditions of common people can be improved.
