[am1m]

Originally Posted by reignofchaos

Could you tell me what is cheaper other than tailored and unbranded clothes, food (both wage goods), hired help, services and rent/property?

Well, that's roti, kapda aur makaan right there! (so sorry, couldn't resist ) But yes, isn't that a significant portion of most families' expenses?

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Many people "want" to live in a metro where they go through commute hell. The percentage of "Life in a metro rocks" is much more in India even for people with kids etc.

Not to mention the sheer quality of life difference for younger women.

These are two very good points and I can say these are very true, based on conversations I've had with several colleagues and friends.

[reignofchaos]

Originally Posted by am1m

Well, that's roti, kapda aur makaan right there! (so sorry, couldn't resist ) But yes, isn't that a significant portion of most families' expenses?

These are two very good points and I can say these are very true, based on conversations I've had with several colleagues and friends.

I think most of us here are well past the roti kapda makaan stage . I don't think any of those barring the home loan emi makes a dent to our incomes.

[Vishal.R]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

The percentage of "Life in a metro rocks" is much more in India even for people with kids etc., due to factors like rockstar schools, piano lessons, golf lessons, french cooking blah blah which are not available in even tier 2 towns.

Yes, but things you mentioned (rockstar schools, piano lessons, golf lessons, french cooking etc.) are already out of reach for many people who stays in bigger cities, e.g. even many employees of IT service companies.

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Not to mention the sheer quality of life difference for younger women. Small town India has certain perverted peeping tom qualities, and larger cities offer anonymity.
..future ceo out of moron international and put it in Tier 2 vidayala

For above points, There may not be much difference between tier 1 cities (Mumbai/Bangalore/NCR) and Tier 2/3 cities (Which may include cities like Ahmedabad, Vadodara, Jaipur, Nagpur,Nashik, Chandigarh, Ludhiana, Kochi, Trivendrum, Mysore, Mangalore, Lucknow, Indore, Vizag, Guwahati etc. etc.)

You may not have Dhirubhai Ambani International School there, but you have franchisee / branches of DPS, Podar etc. with less fee and same curriculum.

Same with healthcare also, super specialty care is available there since last 10-20 years or more.

And even society may not be progressive like South Bombay or Bandra west, but than majority of tier 1 cities are mostly middle class areas only.

In Summary, There are advantages of Tier 1 cities, but that only available to very few residents of these cities, and these are generally decision makers, but now need to think beyond pockets.

There are exceptions also if someone is having very unique needs (e.g.unique profession,very unique hobby or kids / patients with special needs)

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Samurai

BTW, why are you giving all US examples? I am talking from my experiences of living in two Karnataka locations at 50:50 of my time since 10 years. I have found the Udupi COL to be about 70% of Bangalore, while having better lifestyle in Udupi.

Its cheaper, but I don't find it that cheap! If you have own house at both places, the difference reduces further. I have been shuttling between Puttur and Bangalore since 2005 and a comparison of expense shows, the difference is not much.

A restaurant bill for 4 would easily run to 800. The restaurant is comparable to udupi hotels in Bangalore or even a grade lower. Groceries are definitely cheaper in Bangalore owing to Mart's. Clothes again are cheaper in Bangalore. The problem however is Bangalore has expensive options as well, which simply is not an option in D.K/Udupi. Things I find cheaper are House rent(invalid if staying in own house) and fuel expense.

The main reason why I find cheaper is I have significantly lesser option/opportunity to spend. Ex: If I have to buy a pack of sugar, I will have 2 or 3 options, where as in Bangalore I would atleast 10-20 options.

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by PrideRed

Its cheaper, but I don't find it that cheap!

Let's see. I was renting a 3BR flat for 41K (until this year) in Bangalore, slightly bigger and newer flat with similar facilities isn't getting more than 15K in Udupi. In 2009, my son's 3rd grade fee was 11K in Manipal, I paid 1L in 2010 in Bangalore for similar school.

Just because Bangalore has fantastic malls and restaurants, one ends up spending a lot while living there. Same goes for most metros.

[PrideRed]

Originally Posted by Samurai

Let's see. I was renting a 3BR flat for 41K (until this year) in Bangalore, slightly bigger and newer flat with similar facilities isn't getting more than 15K in Udupi. In 2009, my son's 3rd grade fee was 11K in Manipal, I paid 1L in 2010 in Bangalore for similar school.

Just because Bangalore has fantastic malls and restaurants, one ends up spending a lot while living there. Same goes for most metros.

Agree, schools in general are outright expensive in Bangalore. That said there are few which charge lower fees, however finding a good one everywhere is a challenge. The last point you mentioned is a major reason why expenses shoot up in Bangalore. On a weekend I would probably be doing farming in my native where as in Bangalore I might be spending at restaurants or end up buying some unplanned stuff from mall stroll.

[vj_torqueaddict]

Not sure of the general discussion in this thread, as the title says its "Salary survey" , but the discussion seems to be more about WFH and the salaries related to it.

Well, I personally never liked living in big cities , there are just too many people and chaos. I had to come to BLR after campus placement. I used to always miss my hometown , unlike others. Everyone else around me were in awe of the place ( who came from tier-2 cities).

This pandemic has been a blessing in disguise for me, ours' is one of the few companies who announced permanent WFH in July itself, as its a cloud based company and we feel its the right time to take everyone remote ( so that we can stress test our products as well ). Now, naturally, not everything has been figured out yet ( things like compensation based on place for Indian employees, how to arrange office parties and events, etc etc.) However, for US/AUS employees the salary will change based on the region.

I have been juggling between my hometown and BLR since March ( But mainly I have been staying in my hometown, took some time to convince my wife about the benefits ) . We have been exploring Uttara Karnataka like never before , which I could not in past decade. COL is much cheaper and standard of living is much better too, as there is no commute involved and cleaner air, we have a help who has been with us from past 20 years for cooking , cleaning etc. And the added advantage of "everybody knows everyone" of tier-2 cities ( people who have been raised in one would know what I am talking about ). In big cities we are just anonymous , just another face in the crowd.

Not sure if I have added any value to the thread, thought of sharing my POV of this whole pandemic and salary situation.

[Samurai]

FC Kohli, the undisputed father of Indian IT industry passed away last week. I am surprised there was no mention of it anywhere in the forum.

https://www.moneycontrol.com/news/bu...y-6164291.html

TCS was founded before I was born. Yet the first CEO FC Kohli was still running the show when I joined TCS. He had a favorite statement, that all the technology work in TCS is done by trainee engineers. Old time TCSers may remember this statement. He set the tone for Indian IT services industry as we all know now. May he rest in peace.

[adithya.kp]

I am shocked to find out the salary (I mean total salary including RSU etc) individual contributor roles. I think , these days 60 lac to 1 crore is a very common salary for senior tech roles in Bangalore. Most of these guys dont work on any niche areas/data science etc. Just the usual CRUD type of applications. (I am not talking about faang/high growth startup companies).
For most of them, the skills are confined to their own domain/propriety tech. If they were to be laid off, it would be very hard find a job. But somehow they survive.

@Samurai. What are your views on this? I know that, companies pay because they can afford. But this looks a bit too much.

Originally Posted by Samurai

When I co-founded a startup in 2004 in India, I found myself in the unenviable position of fixing salaries. Now that the shoe was on the other foot, I obviously wanted to do it the right way. As I looked around at other companies, big and small, I was stunned at the huge variation in salaries. Niche product companies and VC funded startups were offering five times more compared to regular IT services company. This results in at least 80% of the workforce feeling underpaid at any given time. Unfortunately, the trend hasn’t changed in 2015. I continue to meet people on both sides of the spectrum. Some who feel underpaid for the work they are doing, and some who are making extraordinary amounts while doing ordinary functions. So, what is really happening? Why are some companies paying so high, resulting in employees of other companies feel like they are underpaid all the time?

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

@Samurai. What are your views on this? I know that, companies pay because they can afford. But this looks a bit too much.

You mean if I have any new reasons? Not really. The old reasons hold good. As to why it is getting even wilder, I prefer some HR person answers that question.

[adithya.kp]

No. Not about reasons. But general views on this high salary. I am not complaining. But I dont think people deserve this kind of salary for the kind of work they do. ( I am not generalizing). It will also create a huge disparity.
(I just came out of a meeting. One of the key guys has no idea what/why he is doing. But just wants to introduce some new buzzword tech, even though there is no need for it. He is not good at that either)

Originally Posted by Samurai

You mean if I have any new reasons? Not really. The old reasons hold good. As to why it is getting even wilder, I prefer some HR person answers that question.

[Aceman82]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

.... But I dont think people deserve this kind of salary for the kind of work they do. ( I am not generalizing). It will also create a huge disparity....

In a free market, organizations are free to offer what they feel is fair for their requirements and the individuals to negotiate on what they feel, they are worth.

Why should a unrelated third party be a judge on what anyone deserves ?

[v1p3r]

Originally Posted by adithya.kp

No. Not about reasons. But general views on this high salary. I am not complaining. But I dont think people deserve this kind of salary for the kind of work they do. ( I am not generalizing). It will also create a huge disparity.

I assume you work in a corporate body, and have a white collar job. Do you think you deserve to make 10x what a rickshaw puller in Kolkata does? He pulls people in his rickshaw, sometime totalling over 200 kilos, for miles every day. There is no chance of a raise or promotion. If he's ill, his family might go hungry.

Perspective is a wonderful thing. And the disparity is already huge. Compare yourself to the rickshaw puller. Or to Mukesh Ambani.

No offence meant, by the way.

[tsk1979]

Originally Posted by Samurai

You mean if I have any new reasons? Not really. The old reasons hold good. As to why it is getting even wilder, I prefer some HR person answers that question.

Why do you think its wild. If you look at the average productivity rise, the salary has not really kept in step. Look at productivity per employee

TCS annual revenue doubled in 7 years, but employee count didn't. So whats wrong with the people who actually work there getting the boost instead of only the owners?

Its all about how much value employees bring to the company. If a company can maintain profit margins even after paying big salaries and grow revenue and profit, then its not wild. Whats wild is the productivity increase (if we measure productivity in terms of income generated for the company)

[Samurai]

Originally Posted by tsk1979

Why do you think its wild. If you look at the average productivity rise, the salary has not really kept in step. Look at productivity per employee

TCS annual revenue doubled in 7 years, but employee count didn't.

Well, wage is not based on profit or productivity. RSUs are different, since he is counting RSUs, the figure might sound high. These companies are not co-operatives, so they won't pay more than they need to.