36M, 125LPA, 2Cr saved, no house in Bangalore, seriously considering moving to Southern Europe for 2 years. Thoughts?
Hey everyone! Would love some genuine perspectives on a decision my wife and I are going back and forth on.
A bit about us: We're both 36, have a super energetic 20-month-old daughter, and currently living in Bangalore. I work at a US-based tech company and my wife works at a European MNC (she works on a project basis, different clients, 11-month contracts, mix of WFH and some travel). Combined income is around 155LPA.
Financially we're in a decent spot:
- No property owned
- Saving reasonably well each month
The opportunity:
My company has given me the option to relocate to Southern Europe for a minimum of 2 years. After that, we can either come back to India or stay longer if we love it there, so there is an option to comeback.
Salary would be around €170-180k/year with ~20% effective tax (R&D regime), so take-home is decent. But here's the honest part, we won't be saving dramatically more than we do in India. My wife would likely need to find a new job there which adds some uncertainty in year one.
So unlike the classic Service base dev move from India-to-Europe story where someone gets a 3x salary jump and everything upgrades overnight, for us it's more of a lifestyle bet than a financial one.
Why I really want to go:
I grew up in a smaller city, open fields, easy drives, space to just breathe. Bangalore has slowly started feeling like a cage to me. I do play badminton and go to the gym regularly, but I genuinely miss something as simple as going for a walk while on a phone call, or driving without it turning into a stressful experience.
We live in a apartment and my wife honestly rarely wants to step out, Bangalore traffic and road conditions don't exactly make it tempting either. We don't eat out much, don't explore the city much. We're earning well but honestly living a pretty indoor, low-stimulation life.
I feel like Southern Europe could genuinely fix this, walkable neighbourhoods, cleaner air, parks and open spaces, a pace of life that's just more... human? And doing it for 2 years with the option to come back feels like the right window to try it without fully burning bridges.
My wife's hesitation :
She's not against it at all, but she's nervous about the unknown. Her point is most people who move to Europe from India are getting a massive pay raise and a lifestyle upgrade, so the trade-off is obvious. For us, the financial upside isn't dramatic, so is the disruption worth it?
She'd need to restart her career or find remote work, our daughter would need to settle into a new environment, and we'd be further from family. These are real concerns and I don't want to dismiss them.
The alternative:
Stay in Bangalore but actually upgrade our life here, move to a proper gated society, or buy a flat/villa in the 3–4Cr range. This would give us stability, a better environment for our daughter, and roots.
But honestly, taking on a big home loan in this job market makes me a bit anxious. I've been laid off twice before and that experience does leave a mark. The idea of a large EMI hanging over us feels heavy.
So here's what I'm torn between:
- Move to a better society in Bangalore, solve the "feeling stuck indoors" problem without the big disruption. Maybe that's all we actually need.
- Buy property now and get proper roots but take on EMI risk given my layoff anxiety.
- Has anyone navigated something like this? Good income in India, moved to Europe not chasing money but chasing a better quality of life, especially with a young kid? How did it go? Did you regret it or was it the best decision you made?
Would genuinely love to hear different perspectives, including if you think I'm overthinking this! 😄