How KITNA calculates
Four kinds of numbers
Official data comes from government rules and publications: tax slabs, rebates, RBI loan limits, the Ease of Living Index. Third-party data comes from named outside sources (we'll label it when we use it). Estimates are KITNA's working assumptions, such as city living costs — currently placeholders being replaced with sourced figures. Your inputs always override our estimates. Every result is an estimate, never a guaranteed outcome.
Income tax
FY 2026-27. New regime (the default): ₹0–₹4,00,000 at 0%; ₹4,00,000–₹8,00,000 at 5%; ₹8,00,000–₹12,00,000 at 10%; ₹12,00,000–₹16,00,000 at 15%; ₹16,00,000–₹20,00,000 at 20%; ₹20,00,000–₹24,00,000 at 25%; ₹24,00,000+ at 30%. Salaried people get a ₹75,000 standard deduction. A Section 87A rebate makes tax nil up to ₹12 lakh of taxable income, with marginal relief just above. Surcharge applies above ₹50 lakh (10%), ₹1 crore (15%) and ₹2 crore (25%, the new-regime cap), with marginal relief. A 4% health and education cess applies on top.
Old regime: basic exemption of ₹2.5 lakh (₹3 lakh at 60–79, ₹5 lakh at 80+), 5% / 20% / 30% slabs, ₹50,000 standard deduction, a rebate that makes tax nil up to ₹5 lakh, and surcharge up to 37% above ₹5 crore. You enter your total deductions and exemptions.
CTC to take-home
Basic pay defaults to 40% of fixed CTC. Employer PF (12% of basic) and gratuity (4.81% of basic) sit inside CTC but aren't paid monthly; your own PF matches the employer's. Bonus is paid yearly and taxed at your marginal rate. Stock that vests is added to taxable income. State professional tax is deducted at approximate annual rates.
Living costs
Each city has a monthly baseline for one person on a moderate lifestyle across housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare, entertainment and other costs. We scale it by household, lifestyle, food and transport choices, and add per-child amounts. Anything you enter replaces our estimate. Cities without published data (currently Gurgaon and Noida) show take-home only.
Salary equivalence and relocation
We search for the salary in the destination that leaves the same estimated monthly savings with the same household, lifestyle and a comparable home. Your rent is scaled by the ratio of the two cities' typical rents.
Housing
House affordability tests EMIs at 30%, 40% and 50% of take-home, minus existing EMIs, and caps the loan by RBI loan-to-value limits. Rent vs buy simulates both paths month by month and compares net worth at the end, under assumptions you control.
The Kitnaaa rating
A playful summary, like a battery with three A cells. Each cell charges when you meet one common rule of thumb: saving at least 20% of take-home (the 50/30/20 rule), keeping rent within 30% of take-home, and saving enough in a year to cover six months of expenses (an emergency-fund guideline). Three cells is AAA, “fully charged”. It's based on estimates, it isn't a credit score and it isn't financial advice.