Same talent? Definitively, no. Particular talent? I'm pretty sure there are many Software Developers in India doing $100K+ per year. The problem is taxes and wh

Same talent? Definitively, no. Particular talent? I'm pretty sure there are many Software Developers in India doing $100K+ per year. The problem is taxes and what you get for it. The taxes for the higher bracket in India is 30% and the social security rate sits at a 24%. That's a significant (almost half) part of your salary going to the state. The problem is, at $50K/year, you are not getting your money's worth. If you were paying this in France, it might acceptable. But in India? You are much better spending these $50k/year in the UAE for private health care, condo and private schools. This should explain the big number of software development shops in the UAE who are employing Indians. The flip doesn't even start at $100k/year; and I suspect, at that amount, the UAE might not be that attractive. Of course India is losing (both money, and talent) because of this. But not-taxing the "rich" will be an unpopular measure.