Your life will cost ₹2–5 Crore.
Let's plan how you'll afford it.

How much does life really cost in India?

For most middle-class Indian families, the lifetime cost of major financial goals — a wedding, buying a home, raising and educating children, supporting ageing parents, building an emergency fund and saving for retirement — adds up to somewhere between ₹2 crore and ₹5 crore once you adjust for inflation. The exact number depends heavily on your city tier, lifestyle choices and how early you start investing.

LifeCost.in brings every one of these goals into a single, inflation-adjusted calculation so you can see the full picture instead of planning each goal in isolation. Below is a quick guide to the inflation rates and assumptions we use, and why starting your SIP early matters so much.

India-specific inflation rates we use

• General inflation: 6%/year — broadly tracks long-run CPI and is used for the emergency fund and retirement expenses.
• Education inflation: 10%/year — school and college fees in India have historically risen far faster than general prices.
• Medical inflation: 12%/year — healthcare is one of the fastest-rising costs, which is why parents' medical care needs a dedicated plan.
• Real estate: 8%/year — used to project the future cost of buying a home.
• Investment return: 12%/year — the long-term historical average for diversified Indian equity mutual funds via SIP.

Why starting your SIP early matters

Because of compounding, a SIP started at age 25 can grow to nearly double the corpus of the same SIP started at 35, even though you only invest for ten extra years. The Life Cost Calculator shows you the exact extra monthly SIP needed to close any shortfall — and how that number rises every year you delay.

Frequently asked questions

Yes. Every calculator is completely free, needs no sign-up, and runs entirely inside your browser, so none of your income, savings or financial inputs are ever sent to a server.

Our figures use average Indian market and inflation data and standard financial formulas. They are excellent for planning and comparison, but actual costs vary. For personalised decisions, consult a SEBI-registered financial advisor.

The 4% rule suggests that if your retirement corpus equals 25 times your annual expenses, you can withdraw about 4% each year and have a high chance of your money lasting through retirement. Our Retirement/FIRE calculator uses this widely-followed benchmark.

All eligible 80C investments give the same deduction up to ₹1.5 lakh, so the tax saved depends only on your slab — a 30% slab taxpayer saves about ₹46,800 including cess. The difference between options is in returns, lock-in and liquidity, where ELSS, PPF and NPS each suit different goals.