Comment by elssar | Hacker News Reader

Comment by elssar | Hacker News Reader

That's quiet a high salary you currently get. Usually when foreign companies hire developers in India, they do it to reduce costs(for what you get, your company could easily hire 5 really good developers, or 10 good ones). I'm guessing that your company believes that compensation should be based on what they believe the developer is worth and what they are willing to pay, instead of where the developer lives.

$250k/year is probably twice the median salary for a developer in SF. Yes it's not quiet the same as it would be in India, but still is pretty good. I personally would take it, just because I feel it's a better place to live and work.

To put it into perspective, Google pays it's CFO a base salary of $650K a year. Of course there are bonuses, and stock options that make it much more than that, but I doubt you'll get anywhere close to what the converter says.

@elssar: Yes, my company actually pays based on what the developer is worth and pays the same amount for same work across the world.

>I personally would take it, just because I feel it's a better place to live and work.

This is what is vexing me. I feel the same but I know that my family would need to make some pretty big lifestyle changes if I were to move there.

Thanks for the Google's CFO base salary number. That puts the converter out of equation now.And thanks for your overall perspective too.

EDIT: The salaries in product companies in India have significantly gone up in the last year and a half with so many FIIs pouring in funds. So, I think $200K would only get 2 good developers at my experience level now.

> my family would need to make some pretty big lifestyle changes

That is something I don't have to consider. That makes the decision harder. I know someone who chose to work on his own startup in India, over moving to Mountain View, because he didn't want to move his family there.

I disagree: Given the specifics of the situation, I'd say that going to SF is a huge risk and the money dot not justify the adjustments he will have to make (culturally and financially).

Of course everything depends on the details (age, marital status, aims, etc.).

Like I said, I'd go if I were in the OPs position. Didn't give any other advice :)

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