‘₹5 lakh salary, but no peace’: 26-year-old NRI in UK says he wants to move back to India, internet divided

For a lot of people, moving abroad is still seen as the ultimate dream - better money, better lifestyle, better opportunities. But for one Indian man living in the UK, the reality feels far less glamorous.

A 26-year-old NRI recently opened up online about feeling emotionally exhausted and disconnected despite earning well and building a stable life overseas. His post has now struck a chord with thousands online, especially millennials and Gen Z professionals quietly dealing with loneliness abroad. The man shared that he has been living in the UK for the last eight years after moving there with his family at 18. But according to him, the move was never really his choice.

He admitted that while his life “looks good on paper,” internally, things feel very different. He wrote that he earns around ₹5 lakh a month after taxes, has a decent setup, and is doing well professionally. But despite the financial stability, he says he constantly feels stuck and emotionally unfulfilled. And honestly, that’s the part many people online related to instantly.

In his post, he spoke about missing the life he had back in India - childhood friends, familiar surroundings, everyday conversations, and the sense of belonging he doesn’t feel abroad anymore. He said he still regularly speaks to his old friends in India over calls during his days off, and those conversations often make him think seriously about returning home.
The problem? Almost everyone around him tells him not to do it.

According to him, his friends keep warning him that India has changed, opportunities are harder, stress levels are high, and walking away from a stable foreign income could become a huge mistake. But despite hearing all that, the thought of leaving the UK apparently crosses his mind almost every day. He admitted that sometimes he feels tempted to simply quit his job, book a ticket, and move back home for good. And that emotional conflict sparked a massive conversation online.

A lot of people in the comments said they completely understood what he was feeling. Some NRIs admitted they were going through the exact same thing - financially secure, but emotionally disconnected. One person wrote that they also live in the UK, earn well, and still keep thinking about moving back to India because life abroad can start feeling repetitive and isolating after a point. Others, however, urged him not to make an emotional decision too quickly.

Several users pointed out that the India he misses is probably tied to nostalgia - school days, college memories, childhood friendships, and a phase of life that no longer exists in the same way. And honestly, that point hit hard for many readers too.
Because sometimes people don’t just miss a country. They miss a version of themselves that existed there.

Another section of users reminded him that happiness is not automatically guaranteed in either place. According to them, moving back without a proper plan, job security, or emotional clarity could create a completely new set of frustrations later.
Some also pointed out that life abroad can become particularly difficult for immigrants because of isolation, long winters, smaller social circles, and the pressure to constantly “make it worth it.”

And in many ways, the conversation became much bigger than just one man wanting to leave the UK. It turned into a discussion about burnout, homesickness, identity, and the growing number of young Indians abroad who quietly struggle with loneliness despite appearing successful online.

Because social media often shows the shiny version of NRI life - foreign trips, salaries in pounds or dollars, aesthetic cafés, and polished LinkedIn updates. What it rarely shows is the emotional side of it.

Missing weddings back home. Watching friendships slowly fade. Feeling culturally out of place in two different countries at once. Having money but nobody close enough to call at midnight. That’s probably why the post resonated with so many people. Not because the man wanted to quit the UK, but because he admitted something many people are secretly scared to say out loud: Sometimes, success and happiness are not the same thing.