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Techie explains why ₹45 LPA in Bengaluru feels more rewarding than a £108k salary in London
A techie sparked debate by explaining how a ₹45 LPA salary in Bengaluru offered more comfort than £108k in London.
A LinkedIn post by a software engineer based in Bengaluru has sparked a wide discussion on purchasing power parity and lifestyle choices between India and the United Kingdom.
The post, shared by Vaibhav Agarwal, compared a ₹45 lakh per annum package in Bengaluru with a £108,000 salary in London, arguing that headline figures alone do not reflect real quality of life.
Breaking down the numbers
Taking to LinkedIn, Agarwal wrote, “ ₹45 𝗟𝗣𝗔 𝗶𝗻 𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 > £108𝗸 𝗶𝗻 𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻? 𝗟𝗲𝘁'𝘀 𝘁𝗮𝗹𝗸 𝗣𝗣𝗣. On paper, £108,000 is ₹1.15 Crore. It sounds like you are earning 2.5x more than the Bengaluru engineer. But let’s look at the lifestyle.”
He then detailed life in India on a ₹45 LPA salary. “𝗕𝗲𝗻𝗴𝗮𝗹𝘂𝗿𝘂 ( ₹45 𝗟𝗣𝗔) Net Income: ~ ₹2.7 Lakhs/month. Housing: Luxury 2BHK in a gated society ( ₹50k). Lifestyle: Cook ( ₹5k), Maid ( ₹3k), Uber for commute, Blinkit for groceries. Status: Top 1% Earner. You live like a King. You outsource every chore.”
London versus Bengaluru lifestyle
Agarwal contrasted this with living in the UK on a six figure salary. “𝗟𝗼𝗻𝗱𝗼𝗻 (£108𝗸) Net Income: ~£6,100/month (after 40% tax & NI). Housing: Decent 1BHK in Zone 2 (not central) = £2,200 ( ₹2.4 Lakhs). Lifestyle: Public Transport (Tube), Cook your own food, Clean your own toilet, Do your own dishes. Domestic help is a luxury for the ultra-rich. Status: Upper Middle Class. You live a comfortable, but standard life.”
Concluding his post, he summed up the choice succinctly. “If you want luxury and comfort, choose Bengaluru. If you want global exposure, clean air, and stronger currency, choose London. Don't convert Pounds to Rupees. Convert lifestyle to lifestyle.”
Take a look here at the post:
Mixed reactions online
The post drew several reactions from LinkedIn users. One user commented, “People more often with high income, don't go just because of salary, they go for multicultural exposure, learning, get confidence, learning, quality of life, good education and health system, clean air, water, low crime, more human values. BTW cleaning our own room, cooking our food this is our personal choice.”
Another wrote, “So glad someone talked about PPP. On social media, there are a lot of posts saying this person got 1 or 1.5 crore package, but when you check in detail, it's in another country not India. This is equivalent to spreading misinformation.”
(Disclaimer: This report is based on user-generated content from social media. HT.com has not independently verified the claims and does not endorse them.)
