After living for a year each in India, UAE, Singapore, and Thailand, Akshat Shrivastava, Founder of Wisdom Hatch, laid out a blunt comparison of what it means to live, work, and retire in these countries. In a viral post on X (formally Twitter), he dissected the economic realities and lifestyle choices across borders — without mincing words.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Shrivastava wrote, “I have lived (at least for a year) across 4 countries in my life: India, UAE, Singapore and Thailand.”
He began with India, calling it “a great place to retire,” thanks to its low cost of living. “If you are done working, pick a state like Kerala or Goa. Retire. You can survive very well with 75K-1.25L INR,” he wrote.
But when it comes to building wealth, Shrivastava said India ranks poorly. “Not only the operating taxes are crazy high (and you get jack-shit in return). The regulations are restrictive. You can’t really plan a business for the next 5 years,” he said, adding that India fears innovation and gives “0 respect for honest, hardworking people.”
On the other hand, the UAE stands out for wealth creation. With zero tax on operating income and capital gains, he described it as a place where “the government actually cares about their people (even residents).” Still, the high cost of living makes it challenging for low earners.
Thailand, he wrote, offers a middle path: less corrupt than India, better infrastructure, and favorable for retirement or digital nomads. However, “language barrier etc makes it difficult to build any operating income here,” he added.
Singapore, Shrivastava noted, is full of “honest & straightforward” people, but comes with the highest cost of living and visa hurdles. “You need astronomical wealth to move here,” he wrote. Yet, it’s still “a great destination” for running a business.
Summing it up, he advised: “If you are a young Indian, you have better odds in UAE. If you are old, pick India/Thailand for retirement.”
Shrivastava’s post sparked a flurry of responses online. One user respectfully disagreed: “India isn’t perfect, but it’s the land of asymmetric upside… The next Google, Netflix, Tesla will rise from a 1B+ Bharat market.”
Another user commented, “Well-articulated! Totally agree — India is peaceful to retire but punishing for wealth creation. UAE is a dream for builders with 0% tax, while Singapore offers structure but at a premium. Thailand strikes a balance for lifestyle.”
