Manali, a high-altitude mountain resort town, is often seen as the perfect place to unwind. But one employee working remotely chose it as his work-from-home destination. With remote jobs reshaping how professionals view the workplace – making daily travel and proximity to the office unnecessary – he relocated to the mountains, exercising the freedom to work away from crowded cities in the foothills of the Himalayas.
An Instagram user named Ajay Sharma shared his experience of living in Manali after leaving the hustle and bustle of Delhi to enjoy the greenery and tranquillity of the mountains while working. He also broke down his living expenses in the town, highlighting a more affordable lifestyle set against the serene beauty of nature.
The video begins with Sharma saying, “How much does it cost to live alone in the mountain as a corporate remote employee?” He revealed that he rented a 1BHK apartment in Manali for ₹14,000 per month. This figure includes Wi-Fi and electricity charges.
Sharing details of his expenditure on groceries, he said that, due to his gym-focused diet, he cooks for himself, spending ₹3,500 a month. On average, he spends around ₹500 a week on food deliveries when he does not feel like cooking. This breakdown implies that his monthly expenditure on eating out is ₹2,000. He pays ₹1,500 a month for a gym membership, which was actually for ₹1,800, but he got a good deal.
Moving to travel expenditure, Sharma shared that he prefers walking, which helps him meet his daily step count and keeps commuting expenses “almost zero”. Concluding the video, he provided the cumulative estimate of mountain life, which comes around ₹21,000 a month. This video sparked online discussions about whether Ajay Sharma's ‘dream life’ in the mountains is really cheaper than living in a metro city like Delhi.
Social media reaction
A user remarked, “That's relatively cheap though!” Another user wrote, “Cheaper than Gurgaon life.” A third user stated, “For girls it's 40-50k. Hygene safety food mood sab mila k [sic].”
Another comment read, “Does your parents not say that, how can you live like that, how can you enjoy with yourself like that, how can you just move away from us and ignore us, you should live for us and you should marry and give a kid, do they not say any of this and relatives banter, how is it possible that there is no fight with parents when you said you would live alone peacefully in manali (sic).”
Another user said, “It's costly to live in mountain.” A sixth user replied, “14k for 1 bhk in a mountain that’s too costly.” A seventh user noted, “The rent is almost like a metro city [sic].”
More about Manali
A popular tourist destination, Manali is located in the Kullu district and serves as the gateway to the Lahaul and Spiti district and to the city of Leh in Ladakh. It is famous for its dramatic Himalayan landscapes and thrilling adventure sports like paragliding, zorbing, rafting and skiing.