A couple working as software engineers at Microsoft in Noida has opened up about their monthly expenses, lifestyle choices and why they continue to prefer the city despite a steady rise in the cost of living.
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Speaking to HT.com, Chhavi Maheshwari shared how she and her husband, Ripesh Yadav, manage their finances as a working couple and why Noida feels like the right mix of professional opportunity, family comfort and urban convenience.
Chhavi, who is originally from Purkazi in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, works as a software engineer at Microsoft. Her husband Ripesh Yadav, who is from Jaspur in Kashipur, Uttarakhand, is also a software engineer at the company. Both completed their B.Tech in Computer Science from the National Institute of Technology Uttarakhand between 2014 and 2018.
“I am a software engineer currently working at Microsoft in Noida. Me and my husband completed B.Tech in Computer Science from National Institute Of Technology Uttarakhand (2014–2018). We started our career at Samsung Noida in 2018, later moved to Goldman Sachs in 2020, and joined Microsoft in 2022. My journey has been a mix of learning, growth, and adapting to different roles across organisations,” Chhavi said.
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From Samsung To Microsoft
Chhavi and Ripesh started their professional journey in Noida in 2018 after completing their engineering degrees. Their first workplace was Samsung Noida, after which they moved to Goldman Sachs in 2020. In January 2022, both joined Microsoft as software engineers.
“Both of us are working as Software Engineers at Microsoft. We both joined Microsoft around January 2022,” Chhavi said.
The couple has now been living in Noida for around eight years.
“We have been in Noida since 2018 and currently we stay at Sector 75, Central Noida,” she said.
Why they chose Noida
For Chhavi and Ripesh, the decision to continue living in Noida was not only about work. While their jobs played a role, Chhavi said the biggest reason was the city’s proximity to both their families.
“The main reason we chose Noida is family proximity and emotional comfort. Muzaffarnagar is around 2.5 hours away & Jaspur is around 4 hours away. This makes it easy to stay connected with both families, which gives Noida a strong ‘home-like’ feeling for us. Work was also a factor, but family connectivity played the biggest role,” she said.
For many working couples in the National Capital Region, Noida offers a middle ground between career opportunities and access to family support. In Chhavi and Ripesh’s case, the city allows them to live independently while staying close enough to visit their families without major travel planning.
Their monthly rent And housing costs
The couple lives in a 2BHK semi furnished apartment in Sector 75. Their monthly rent is around ₹35,000.
“We live in a 2BHK semi-furnished apartment, and the monthly rent is approximately ₹35,000,” Chhavi shared.
Apart from rent, housing related expenses form a significant part of their monthly budget. These include maintenance charges, electricity, internet and other utility costs. Chhavi said they spend roughly ₹20,000 a month on such expenses.
“Apart from rent, we roughly spend around ₹20000 per month on maintenance, electricity, internet,” she said.
In her expense breakup, she estimated utilities and maintenance at around ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 per month. This shows that while rent is the largest fixed housing cost, the additional recurring charges can also become a sizeable monthly expense for couples living in apartment societies.
Food, groceries and eating out
Chhavi said their average monthly grocery and household spending comes to around ₹20,000.
“Our average grocery and household expenses are around ₹20,000 per month,” she said.
Eating out, ordering food, visiting cafes and weekend outings are another regular part of their monthly spending. The couple spends around ₹20,000 per month on food delivery, dining out and outings.
“We usually spend around ₹20000 per month on food delivery, dining out, and weekend outings,” Chhavi said.
In the rough breakup, she placed eating out expenses between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000. For young couples living in urban areas, such costs often rise gradually, especially when weekend plans, cafe visits and food delivery become part of the routine.
Commute and lifestyle expenses
For office commute, the couple largely depends on Microsoft’s office transport facility. Chhavi said they occasionally use their own car, especially for outings or vacations.
“For the office, we use office transport facility. Occasionally we also travel with own car If we are going out for vacation then it is more otherwise less,” she said.
Their monthly transport expense is around ₹8,000 to ₹12,000, depending on travel and usage. Since they do not rely heavily on daily cabs or personal vehicle commute for office, this cost remains relatively controlled.
Lifestyle expenses, however, add another ₹10,000 to ₹15,000 a month. These include shopping, subscriptions, personal care, entertainment and social outings.
“Our lifestyle expenses (shopping, subscriptions, personal care, etc.) are approximately ₹10,000– ₹15,000 per month,” Chhavi said.
In the detailed breakup, she put lifestyle spending at ₹15,000 to ₹20,000 a month, depending on the month and the nature of expenses.
Total monthly expense comes to ₹1.6 lakh
When asked about their total monthly expense as a couple living in Noida, Chhavi said the figure comes to roughly ₹1.6 lakh, including rent, utilities, groceries, eating out, transport, lifestyle spending, EMIs and other expenses.
“Our total monthly expense is roughly around ₹1.6 lakh, including everything,” she said.
She also shared a rough breakup of the couple’s monthly spending. Their rent is around ₹35,000. Utilities and maintenance cost between ₹15,000 and ₹20,000. Groceries cost ₹15,000 to ₹20,000. Eating out costs another ₹15,000 to ₹20,000. Transport expenses are around ₹8,000 to ₹12,000. Lifestyle expenses come to around ₹15,000 to ₹20,000. The remaining amount goes towards EMIs and other expenses.
The couple does not use an expense tracking app. Instead, they follow a simple joint account system to manage their monthly finances.
“We don’t use any expense-tracking app. Instead, we follow a simple system: Both of us contribute ₹80,000 each every month to a joint account, and all expenses (rent, EMIs, daily costs) are managed from that account,” Chhavi said.
This system helps them keep shared expenses organised without having to track every transaction manually.
Is Noida still affordable?
Chhavi believes Noida is still relatively affordable when compared to cities such as Bengaluru or Hyderabad. However, she also said the city has become noticeably more expensive since 2018.
“Noida is still relatively affordable compared to cities like Bangalore or Hyderabad, but the cost of living has increased significantly since 2018,” she said.
According to her, people often underestimate certain expenses before moving to Noida. These include maintenance charges, lifestyle and eating out costs, subscriptions and small daily spends that do not seem large individually but add up over time.
“People often underestimate: Maintenance charges, Lifestyle and eating-out costs, Hidden expenses like subscriptions and small daily spends,” she added.
Despite the rising costs, Chhavi said living in Noida feels balanced for them. The comfort of being close to family and the quality of life make the expenses feel worthwhile.
“Overall, it feels balanced. While expenses have increased over time, the comfort of being close to family and the quality of life make it worth it,” she said.
Advice for young professionals moving to Noida
For young professionals and couples planning to move to Noida for work, Chhavi said location should be chosen carefully, keeping in mind both office commute and family needs.
“Choose location based on work commute + family needs,” she advised.
She also suggested that couples should plan their expenses in advance, especially rent and lifestyle spending, as these can rise quickly in a city like Noida.
“Plan your expenses, especially rent and lifestyle spending,” she said.
(Also read: Indian techie says quitting $250K Microsoft US job improved his quality of life: ‘I have a cook and driver now’)
Calling Noida a good place for quality lifestyle and family balance, Chhavi also pointed out that tech opportunities are slightly fewer compared to Bengaluru and Hyderabad. She said professionals should make their decision based on their career goals and personal priorities.
“Noida is a great place for quality lifestyle and family balance. Tech opportunities are slightly fewer compared to Bangalore/Hyderabad, so prioritise based on career goals. Overall, Noida is a good place to settle if your priorities align with comfort, connectivity, and family proximity,” she said.
