'₹23 Lakh In India = ₹80 Lakh In The Us': Delhi Researcher Drops A Reality Check For Dollar Dreamers

You only request ₹23 lakhs successful India to lucifer nan manner of personification earning ₹80 lakhs successful nan U.S. 

Shubham Chakraborty, a Delhi-based researcher, is challenging nan NRI paycheck flex by calling retired nan measurement Indian professionals often comparison world salaries without context. 

“Next clip your cousin/friend who has settled successful nan US says he makes Rs 80 Lakhs a year, show them you only request Rs 23 Lakhs to lucifer their manner successful India,” he wrote connected Linkedin, spotlighting nan powerfulness of purchasing powerfulness parity (PPP).

PPP, a measurement utilized by economists and institutions for illustration nan IMF, adjusts incomes for section value levels to comparison existent value. 

According to IMF data, nan PPP ratio betwixt India and nan U.S. stands astatine complete 3:1—making Chakraborty’s declare a adjacent norm of thumb.

He backed it up pinch nonstop comparisons: a edifice repast astatine ₹300 successful India costs ₹1,700 successful nan U.S.; net bills jump from ₹700 to ₹6,000; rent for akin lodging spikes from ₹50,000 to ₹1.6 lakh.

But Chakraborty acknowledged nan limits of nan metric. “Developed countries often person amended nationalist services, technology, and opportunities. They whitethorn besides connection amended societal security,” he noted.

Economists echo that PPP isn’t a catch-all. It assumes parity successful equipment and work quality—which often doesn’t hold. 

Healthcare, education, and ineligible protections alteration significantly. And individual factors for illustration family needs aliases location tin dramatically impact nan costs and value of life.

PPP calculations themselves aren’t perfect. They trust connected wide-ranging surveys that whitethorn beryllium little reliable successful processing countries and tin miss cardinal nuances for illustration non-tradable services and infrastructure quality. Still, Chakraborty’s station struck a nerve—prompting galore to rethink what “earning more” really intends successful a world context.

Published on: Jun 11, 2025 4:37 PM IST