At an age when many young professionals dream of luxury apartments, expensive gadgets, and flashy cars, 24-year-old Raymond Zeng has chosen a very different lifestyle despite earning more than $300,000 (around ₹2.9 crore) a year as a software engineer at Meta.
Living in the San Francisco Bay Area, Zeng says his apartment is intentionally bare. He owns no car, no television, and not even a couch. Friends often call his lifestyle “Spartan”, but according to him, it is a conscious financial choice rather than a money problem.
In a conversation with Business Insider, Zeng said he prefers putting his money into investments, travel, and hobbies instead of filling his home with things he rarely uses.
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“I could afford more furniture if I wanted it, or expand my lifestyle to be more spendy,” he said. “I think a big part of personal finance is choosing where to spend money and where not to.”
“Right now, I’d rather prioritize investing, travel, and hobbies over filling my apartment with things I don’t use very much,” he added.
Zeng moved to the Bay Area around eight months ago after spending two years in Dallas. While his total annual compensation is $306,500 (₹2.9 crore), a significant portion is paid through bonuses and stock options.
He shared that his regular monthly income, excluding bonuses and stock options, usually falls between $7,000 and $8,000 (around ₹6.8 lakh to ₹7.7 lakh). Out of that, he is often able to save anywhere between $5,000 and $20,000 a month (roughly ₹4.8 lakh to ₹19.4 lakh).
The 24-year-old said he puts a major portion of his earnings into retirement and investment accounts every year instead of increasing his spending. He also invests additional money in the stock markets through brokerage accounts. According to Zeng, around 80% of his investments are in US stocks, while the remaining 20% are in international markets.
“My goal is to retire around age 30,” he said, though he admitted that retirement planning has “a lot of moving parts”.
Despite living in one of America’s most expensive regions, Zeng says he keeps his expenses under control. He pays $2,600 a month (around ₹2.5 lakh) for a one-bedroom apartment that he considers reasonably priced for the area, and he specifically chose a neighborhood with easy access to cafes, grocery stores, and public transport.
“My living room doubles as both my workspace and hobby area,” he explained, saying that he never really felt the need for extra furniture or a TV.
His bedroom is equally minimal, containing little more than a bed, blanket, pillow, and a filing cabinet that also works as a bedside table.
Still, Zeng admitted there is one purchase he does not regret spending heavily on.
“One thing I did splurge on, though, was a $400 bidet (around ₹39,000), which felt worth it as a quality-of-life upgrade,” he said.
Unlike many tech workers in California, Zeng also chooses not to own a car. Instead, he walks, uses public transportation, or travels through the company shuttle service, a decision that significantly cuts down his monthly expenses. In some months, he says, he spends almost nothing on commuting.
