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H-1B Workers Need Over $400K in San Francisco for Comfortable Living, Says NRI Entrepreneur
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News18•23-09-2026, 08:00
H-1B Workers Need Over $400K in San Francisco for Comfortable Living, Says NRI Entrepreneur
- •An Indian-origin entrepreneur, Aniruddha Anjana, shared salary estimates for H-1B families to live comfortably, not just survive, in major US cities.
- •San Francisco tops the list, requiring $407,597 annually for a family of four, followed by San Jose ($402,771) and Boston ($368,742).
- •Even Houston, one of the more affordable major cities, requires over $200,000 per year for comfortable living, a figure many H-1B salaries outside big tech don't meet.
- •Anjana based his estimates on the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, allocating income for fixed expenses, discretionary spending, and investments.
- •He highlighted that the high cost of living in the US often makes salaries that seem large in India barely cover a stressed budget for families, leading him to move back to India to earn in dollars and spend in rupees.
Key Questions Answered
San Francisco tops the list with an estimated annual income requirement of $407,597 for a family of four to live without financial stress.
He based his calculations on the 50/30/20 budgeting rule, where 50 percent goes to fixed expenses, 30 percent to travel and entertainment, and 20 percent to investments.
He started a US-based company and moved back to India, allowing him to earn in US dollars while spending in Indian rupees.
