by Pickrightstay 
It always seems great to get an opportunity to work outside your country/citizenship. New experiences, a new way of living, new people etc, everything seems to be wondrous. These are the people who we commonly call an expat, who leave their country and work in another country representing their company. There are thousands of expats living in India, and per Statista, major nationalities that come to India as an expat are Americans, Japanese, Korean, Chinese and Britishers. According to HSBC’s Expat 2019 Global Report, India comes in 18th place among 33 countries. Well, there is always a scope for improvement.
The life of an expat living in India has both pros and cons. India is considered one of the cheapest places in the world. The major crux of expats living in India prefer the following hotspots like New Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Hyderabad, Chennai, Bangalore, and Goa is seen to be one of their favorites. Expats prefer metropolitan cities, but why? Well, the answer is simple that is good transportation, best medical facilities, beautiful residences, western amenities, rental spaces, amazing food, IT Hubs like in Bangalore, etc.
But is India, all good for the expats? Are there no problems that expats face in India? Is India an expensive country to live in for expats? Well, let us figure that out!
Challenges faced by Expats in India
India is a country with diverse cultural groups, religious and ethnics groups, and this led to an adjustment or a challenge for an expat to live in. Now talking about the social adjustments then one can say that the locals of India are very warm and welcoming. Expats believe that mingling with the locals in the workplace as well as an in their area of residence is somewhat easy. They believe that the people of India are quite friendly, but they do sense some discrimination as well. They feel that people using their mother tongue might say negative or harmful things which the expats cannot understand.
Secondly, Expats also face economic adjustments in India. In India, there are many job opportunities for instance, in IT, software development, banking sectors, but the concern here is that the compensation is quite low. Along with this, expats who live in cities like Hyderabad and Mumbai faced a high cost of accommodation challenges. There are different aspects to this above-mentioned point, as expats from the USA, South Africa, and the UK believe that the cost of living in India is low but expats from Australia don’t feel the same. Also, the majority of expats have labeled New Delhi, Chennai, and Bangalore as low of living cities. The accommodation rate is less here as compared to Mumbai and Bangalore. Expats believe that in Delhi, the housing is not that good, and basic utilities like electricity and water are quite hampered.
But most recently, instead of focusing on buying houses, expats are more focused on renting a serviced apartment. As with serviced apartments, they get all the basic facilities in a luxurious and comfortable way. India has always been a country that focused more on renting a flat with unfurnished utilities, this way expats found it difficult to arrange for furniture and other stuff and end up spending more. But with the coming of the serviced apartments, expats just need to pay the amount, and voila the apartment is there’s.
Another major con which expats feel and that is especially for Delhi is the Pollution. As per the WHO, New Delhi is considered the 6th most polluted city. Expats find it hard to come up with the hazardous pollution of this city.
What pros the expats are missing out on in India?
As per the FIDI, India is a land of the fastest-growing populations and is a land of opportunities and among all the cities New Delhi has seen opportunist city for not only the expats but also the Indian Locals. There are many job opportunities here in various sectors be it banking sectors or IT sectors or in MNCs.
Another pro is that the cost of living is quite low in India, especially in New Delhi. The selected hotspots in NCR for Expats are Gurugram, Noida, Golf Links, Defence Colony. As per the estimation given in FIDI, estimated monthly utilities in Delhi cost typically around $57-60 as compared to London that costs $225 for Expats.
India as we talked about above is a land of cultural, religious, and ethnic groups, attracts a lot of foreign tourists as well Expats. With various monuments, temples, museums, and other cultural activities, India definitely knows how to provide a sense of awe to its visitors. Everything in India is so colorful; from clothing to markets to food, there is variety and reasonable price. Visit the local markets and experience the process of bargaining!
Another best thing is that India has improved its infrastructure. With huge shopping malls, theatres, clubs, one can never get bore in India. Metro connectivity is almost covering every suburb like Gurugram, Noida, Faridabad, especially in Delhi. Metropolitan cities are more focused on their infrastructure. These cities have top-facilitated schools, hospitals, education establishments for higher educations.
The cost of transportation is also another factor that is low in India. Unlike the only availability of cabs, here in India, transportation options are many and cheap too!
Conclusion:
Every country has its pros and cons and being an Expat can be both; fascinating as well as challenging. A warm welcome, good environment are amongst what an Expat desires in a new surrounding; as they leave their home, their country to work in another country. Surely, India is a country that welcomes people wholeheartedly and makes them feel at home. Not only this, living in India is affordable too. So, whilst in India, you will not only enjoy your stay but also create some wonderful memories.
