u/Right-Response-3308

I used to work as a software developer in a WITCH company in Kolkata and in 2019 I moved to Bangalore to work in a Tier 1 Product company.

I loved the city, the climate, the culture, social and friendly colleagues, team events, company benefits, etc. Life was good and I was working in an exciting product.

In 2021, I got a job offer from a small company in the north of UK. The pay was mediocre but since I wanted to travel and explore Europe at a slower pace, I decided to make the move. Since I had resigned before the vesting period, I had to forfeit my stocks which would now have been atleast $100-150K. At the time, I did not think the stocks would appreciate this much.

I have completed my mission of exploring and travelling but as a consequence, I have not made much career progress or savings. Salaries are low and taxes are high in UK.. with 15 years of experience, I am making GBP 58K a year before tax, while my batchmates, ex-colleagues and various people on Reddit are making 70L-1.5L in India itself (Bangalore, Mumbai, etc).

I am 38 now and am worried I might not be able to save much for retirement if I don't move back to India (much lower tax than UK) and join any good North American product company with generous stock grants. Getting a USA work visa is near impossible for me and even so under the current times.

I will be eligible for UK permanent residency this year but not sure if it is worth spending GBP 10K over it (for me and my spouse, who is a non-working housewife) considering low savings potential in the country and that from this year I need to pay tax to UK government on global income (India FD and PPF interests, etc).

Several of my friends have warned me against moving back to Bangalore saying that things have changed a lot since 2019 and infrastructure is crumbling. My question is should I still return to Bangalore or consider any other city like Hyderabad? Any other advice would be highly appreciated for my stage in life. I don't have any significant savings except for some 15L in PPF.

I currently make about GBP 75K base in Edinburgh and am supporting a family of 2 (non-working spouse).

I work mostly with Python with skills in backend development, cloud, and applied AI engineering. How much is the income potential in the UK for similar roles? I do like my job and the pace of life here in the north of UK, but feel way underpaid when I speak to my friends in London or USA. So much so that I am losing motivation and interest in everything.

Is it possible to earn or save more if I relocated to around London? Is it really worth moving to London chasing higher salaries / savings? Or should I move to a different country and maybe try opportunities in Netherlands, Germany or Sweden.

Any inputs or advice would be highly appreciated.

I have 2.5 months left to ILR and currently make about GBP 50K in Edinburgh. I am supporting a family of 2 (non-working spouse) with this salary and it is difficult with current prices and cost of living.

I work mostly with Python with expertise in backend, cloud, data engineering and AI. How much is the income potential post ILR in the UK (in London and outside of London) for similar roles? I quiet like the pace of life in the north of UK but is it possible to earn and save much more around London?

I am wondering if its worth spending about GBP 10K on ILR for me and my spouse or move back to Bangalore for better pay and opportunities in North American Tech companies with better pay, benefits and stocks. Or maybe try opportunities in Netherlands, Germany or Sweden.

Any inputs or advice would be highly appreciated.