Deciding whether to move abroad for work is never easy, especially when the offer comes with a tempting salary but an unfamiliar lifestyle. For young professionals in India’s booming tech sector, the choice often involves weighing career growth, living costs, and long-term prospects.
A 27-year-old techie from Bengaluru recently shared his dilemma online, should he accept a Rs 38 lakh per annum (LPA) offer in India or move to Dubai for 21,000 AED per month (around Rs 5.19 lakh)? His Reddit post has sparked widespread discussion about salary, lifestyle, and long-term career growth.
In a thread titled “38 LPA in Bangalore vs 21K AED per month in Dubai – Is Dubai worth it for a single guy?”, he explained that he currently earns Rs 32 LPA and has received two offers. One is from a “big bank” in India with strong brand value and long-term growth prospects, while the other is in Dubai. “Both roles are solid, great clients, good benefits, and interesting work,” he wrote.
He said he felt confident evaluating the India offer but found the Dubai opportunity harder to assess. “38 LPA is clearly a good bump from 32 LPA, and I understand the lifestyle and savings potential here. But I’m struggling to properly evaluate the Dubai offer,” he added.
The tech consultant sought advice from those living in Dubai, asking whether 21,000 AED per month is a strong salary for a single person, what lifestyle he could expect, how much he could realistically save, and how common flat-sharing is among professionals. He also questioned whether moving from Bengaluru would make sense financially and socially, adding that he did not want to relocate just for the “Dubai tag”.
The post quickly drew responses from netizens, and opinions were clearly divided. Some highlighted Dubai’s tax benefits and opportunities, while others warned about high living costs, limited career growth, and challenges for tech professionals abroad.
One explained, “On paper, Dubai gives you slightly higher monthly take-home and zero income tax. But here’s the real picture: Cost of living, Dubai is expensive. Rent alone can be 6K-9K AED/month for a decent 1BHK in a good area. Add utilities, transport, insurance, food, and lifestyle – you can easily spend 10K-13K AED/month if you live comfortably. Savings potential? Maybe 7K-10K AED/month (Rs 1.6-2.2L) if you’re disciplined. In Bangalore, even with rising costs, your expense control is easier — especially if you already have a setup.”
Another user focused on rent and daily expenses, “In Dubai, the biggest expense is the rent. Take out 5K per month for rent. Another 5K for expenses. That’s your savings. There’s no income tax. Everything is yours. And once you get good experience, the salary levels keep increasing especially in AML. Make sure your company in Dubai gives good health experience. A 20pack paracetamol costs 20AED there.”
Some offered a more cautious perspective, “If you don’t have any liabilities, and if you have worked in India all your life, maybe as an exploration you can go for Dubai option. If you don’t like it you can always move back to India since you know your worth there. 21k is easily managable.”
Other users advised focusing on career growth. One said, “Fellow techie here. If you’re looking for career growth, I’ll suggest you to stay in blr. Growth in tech is not that great. Also most of the organisations are outsourcing tech jobs to India. So give it a thought and decide.”
Another raised concerns about being underpaid in Dubai, “For IT professionals, don’t accept anything below 25k AED per month in Dubai if you’re single and don’t accept anything below 30k AED per month if you’re coming to Dubai with family. You’re being low-balled for 21k AED per month and it’s not worth it to move to Dubai at this pay for your age and experience. I’d recommend negotiating for at least 25k AED per month if you still see scope for further negotiations otherwise India is a better deal.”
The same user added, “If you’re fascinated with moving to Dubai let me tell you this loud and clear, you’ll have to compromise on your lifestyle if you accept 21k AED per month. Dubai is super expensive regardless of how efficient you’re with money management. Yeah many people will say 21k AED is great pay but they’re just low income earners and not IT professionals. Also Dubai is a career killer for IT and tech professionals. You’ll not learn much leading to a career stagnation. The job security in IT and tech roles is extremely bad in Dubai.”
They further explained, “Dubai is a great market for sales people, finance professionals, accountants, lawyers, real estate brokers who really have plenty of roles and job openings. For tech professionals, software engineers, developers and IT consultants, Dubai is a brutal market and absolute career killer. At your age, you should try for places like Singapore, US, UK or EU (Germany, France, Netherlands, Spain) for tech roles where you can really thrive and grow professionally.”