An NRI’s reaction to visiting India ate 8 years abroad has sparked a discussion online.
An NRI’s reaction to visiting India after 8 years abroad has sparked a discussion online after his comments praising the country’s “energy”, rapid growth and lower costs of living were shared on social media.
Taking to X, Alok Jain, founder of WeekendInvesting, said his friend, who travelled from New York, was struck by what he described as India’s “amazing energy” and the pace at which the country is growing.
“An outsider’s perspective can be so different from our own,” Jain wrote, adding that his friend was particularly “shocked” by the relatively low cost of medical care, transportation, internet and mobile services in India.
According to Jain, his friend said he pays $600 for mobile and data at his house in the US, around $30,000 annually for health insurance for a family of 4, and nearly 2% of his property’s value each year as property tax. “Yes air is cleaner there but there are many more good things happening here,” Jain added.
A friend visited me from New York today. He had come to India after 8 yrs.
He was all praise for the amazing energy in the country and how rapidly he felt India is growing.
An outsiders perspective can be so different from our own.
He was shocked to see our cost of medical…
— Alok Jain ⚡ (@WeekendInvestng) December 23, 2025
Social media divided
The post quickly drew mixed reactions from users, with many pushing back against the comparison. One user commented, “It’s the other way around. A few things are better in India but when it comes to what actually defines a better living standard, from AQI to walkable public spaces, New York is way ahead, no comparison.”
Another wrote, “I am an outsider and I can say that everything wrong with the country has to do only with lack of civic sense among the people.”
A third user was more critical, saying, “At the end of the day, even if you save money on mobile data, commute, property tax and health insurance, you still can’t breath money or even walk on money outside. Your life will be still restricted in the society you live in. My NRI friends also talk like this to make you feel good but at the end of the day they got back to the developed nations.”
Others, however, agreed with Jain’s assessment. “Sometimes it takes an outsider to show us our blind spots. India has its problems, but affordability, speed, and momentum are real advantages we underestimate,” one user wrote.
