How to read a foreign startup salary from India: gross, net, monthly, annual, geo bands and what it's worth in rupees

A salary of "$120k" in one posting, "€6,500 per month" in another and "₹40 LPA" in a third are not comparable as written. Here's the conversion routine — and the comparison that actually matters, which is against what you'd earn staying in India.

Step 1: find out what the number counts

Annual or monthly? The US, UK, India, Australia and Singapore quote annual. Germany, France, the Netherlands and most of Latin America quote monthly (and Germany, Spain and others often pay 13 or 14 months — ask). Brazil and Argentina quote monthly, usually with a 13th month by law.

Gross or net? Almost always gross (before tax) in postings, but candidates in some countries think in net. Ask which if in doubt.

Base or total? US postings often quote base salary with equity and bonus separately; Indian postings quote "CTC" (cost to company) which can include employer contributions and even the notional value of equity; some European postings include employer social contributions in the headline. The most useful number is fixed base pay — the amount you're contractually owed each month. Ask for it.

Step 2: convert to a monthly, after-tax figure where you'd live

This is the only number that actually decides whether you can live on it. Rough method:

1. Turn the figure into gross annual base in the posting's currency.
2. Apply an approximate income-tax and social-contribution rate for the country where you'd be employed — online calculators exist for every major country; use the marginal band that applies to the full amount.
3. Divide by twelve.

Now you have a monthly net figure. Compare it to your rent, or to your current monthly net if you're choosing between countries. Currency conversion alone is misleading: €5,000 net in Berlin, $6,500 net in Austin and ₹3.5 lakh net in Bengaluru buy very different lives.

Step 3: understand the width of the range

A good range is anchored to a level and reasonably narrow — the top around 30–60% above the bottom. "$140k–$180k for a senior engineer" tells you the level and where most hires land (usually the lower-middle). "$80k–$250k" is a placeholder written to satisfy a pay-transparency law and tells you almost nothing; ask what someone with your experience was actually offered.

Pay-transparency laws now require ranges in postings in several US states (California, Colorado, New York, Washington among them), in parts of Canada, and increasingly across the EU under the pay-transparency directive. The effect is more ranges, some of them unhelpfully wide. Treat width as information.

Step 4: ask where the geo band comes from

If the role is remote, the range you see may be for a different country than yours. Companies typically use one of three models — one rate everywhere, bands by region, or local market — and the posting rarely says which. Ask: is that range for my location? Our remote pay guide covers the models.

Step 5: compare it to your India number, not to zero

The honest baseline is what you'd earn in Bengaluru or Hyderabad for the same seniority, after Indian tax and rent. A ₹70 L Bengaluru salary nets around ₹4.2 L a month; after a ₹50k rent that's ₹3.7 L of disposable income. A €90k Berlin salary nets about €4,750 a month and leaves roughly €3,200 after rent — about ₹3.1 L. A S$150k Singapore salary leaves about S$6,500 after rent — about ₹4.2 L. An AED 30k Dubai package leaves about AED 21k after rent — about ₹4.9 L. Now the decision is about the network, the equity, permanent residence and the life you want, rather than a headline number that flattered the move.

Step 6: value the rest separately

Equity is a separate line and should be valued separately — see startup equity explained. Bonuses at startups are usually discretionary; assume zero for planning. Benefits vary enormously by country: health insurance is a large part of compensation in the US and nearly irrelevant in countries with public systems; pension contributions matter in the UK and Australia; paid leave ranges from ten days to thirty. Put a monthly number on each thing that matters to you and add it to the net figure.

When the posting has no range at all

Ask in the first call, before the take-home test: what is the base salary range for this role at this level, in the currency you'd pay me? A startup that won't answer at that point is either embarrassed by the number or hasn't decided; either way, you've learned something. Featured roles on this board are required to state a range — it's one of the conditions of featuring.

A worked example

Two offers for the same role: $110,000 base in Denver, remote, and €72,000 in Amsterdam, hybrid. Denver: roughly $85,000 net after federal and state tax, about $7,000 a month. Amsterdam: roughly €47,000 net including holiday allowance, about €3,900 a month, and potentially higher for some eligible migrants under the expat ruling. Rent for a similar flat is comparable in both cities. Health insurance is employer-provided in Denver and about €150 a month out of pocket in Amsterdam; paid leave is 15 days in Denver and 25 in Amsterdam. Which is "more" depends on what you value — but now you're comparing the right numbers.