The big questions are often unanswered by equating earnings:
1. Does the job you want to do exist in the place you want to live in? I would love to flee to literal greener pastures, but I can’t replicate my current client base, access to talent to make gym equipment, a home close to my work and my daughter’s unconventional school within a kilometer of home. My brother on the other hand has a job in the US that does not exist in India.
2. How much do you value the culture etc. I have zero value for temples (mosques, churches too), customs, rituals, religious practices, movies, the languages etc. I would be thrilled if all of it disappeared overnight. What keeps me moored to Madras is my work (or rather whatever limited success I have with it), a comfortable no-nonsense neighbourhood and my support system.
3. Do you get to do things that you love? I’d love to live near a clean, pristine beach filled with people who respect their surroundings. Or pathways that allow long walks by the river. You might have access to a couple of hiking trails around Bangalore. But that’s pretty much it. If you value nature and quiet or quick access to it, you automatically rule out India.
4. How much time do you actually have? India is a fairly competitive and cutthroat place. Even if you don’t have office politics or participate in industry networking or events (I do neither), the sheer work volume in India gives you little time for the long weekends etc. I am sure this varies but more often than not your work and business wind up owning your calendar.
5. Your immediate surroundings. The odds are really high that you will wind up with a nosy neighbour, uncooperative neighbours or just have a hard time taking your building and personal space. I have no numbers to prove this. If a fight is plausible, it will happen. People squatting in common areas, ill kept common spaces, poorly managed garbage, iffy security etc. If you want to help me out in the comments with your story, go for it. But I have heard atleast 15-20 instances. And if you decide to live in an independent house, your maintenance costs and hassles are higher. It takes a fair bit of coordination.
6. The Indian school conundrum. I’ve opted out of the rat race for my daughter. But if you do decide to send your kid to a conventional school, it can be challenging to find something that ticks most of the boxes.
7. Urban traffic and rampant law breaking. If you have any degree of dignity or honour, India’s lawlessness will slowly kill you. There are ways to work around this. But no one can pay me enough to commute for more than five minutes everyday for work in this country. And I’d rather have my nails plucked out than suffer the indignity of interacting with a government employee.
