3 weeks ago
Indian in Australia debunks crorepati myth of $100,000 salary
A man named Karan Singh Gill lives and works in Australia, a country far away from India.
He earns $100,000 every year, which sounds like a very big salary.
When he told his family in India, they took out a calculator and said the money is worth about ₹67 lakh.
They were so excited that they called him a crorepati, which means a millionaire in Indian money.
But Karan said the numbers only look big because his family was converting Australian dollars into Indian rupees.
The money is actually earned and spent in Australia, where he has to pay taxes, rent, food, and other bills.
After taxes, rent, and daily essentials, he is left with only about $31,000.
He says things like a $5 coffee cost about ₹355 and a $40 haircut about ₹2,700 when you convert them.
He explains that currency conversion only matters for money actually sent back to India.
Karan wants people to know that what matters is the money left over, not just the big number on a salary.
Karan Singh Gill, an Indian professional based in Australia, went viral on Instagram for explaining the reality behind his $100,000 AUD annual salary.
Gill said his family converted the salary at ₹67 per Australian dollar and declared him a crorepati, but the money is earned and spent in Australia, not India.
Income tax and the Medicare levy deduct $22,788, reducing his take-home pay to roughly $77,000.
Rent of about $500 per week ($26,000 annually) and essentials such as groceries, transport, utilities, phone bills, and insurance ($20,000) leave around $31,000 in disposable income.
Gill stressed that currency conversion only applies to money sent to India and that real financial health depends on surplus income, not gross earnings.
- Who
- Karan Singh Gill, an Indian professional based in Australia, who shared his salary breakdown in a viral Instagram video; Instagram users also commented on the debate.
- What
- Explained that his $100,000 AUD annual salary does not make him a crorepati in real terms, because the money is earned and spent in Australia; after $22,788 in taxes and Medicare levy, $26,000 in rent, and $20,000 in essentials, only about $31,000 in disposable income remains.
- Where
- Australia, where Gill earns and spends his salary; the breakdown was shared on Instagram.
- When
- Not specified for the video; the News18 report was published on August 10, 2026.
- Why
- To debunk the myth that converting a foreign salary into Indian rupees reflects real wealth, since local taxes and the cost of living reduce actual savings and spending power.
Financial realism
Lifestyle value
Does a converted salary reflect real wealth?
Financial realism
Gill argues that converting an overseas salary into rupees is misleading because the money is earned and spent in Australia; conversion only applies to funds actually sent to India.
Lifestyle value
Some commenters said the peace, facilities, and lifestyle in Australia matter more than the rupee conversion, with one saying the lifestyle there is 'already worth more than 100K dollars.'
Is moving abroad worthwhile for saving money?
Financial realism
One user questioned whether moving abroad makes sense for someone whose goal is to earn more, save, and eventually buy a house in India, given the high local cost of living.
Lifestyle value
Other users replied that saving and investing depends on the person, that even higher salaries such as $200,000 do not guarantee results, and that lifestyle gains are a bonus on top of the salary.
Key facts
- Annual salary
- AUD 100,000
- Exchange rate used
- ₹67 per Australian dollar
- Rupee equivalent
- About ₹67 lakh
- Tax and Medicare levy
- AUD 22,788
- Take-home pay
- Roughly AUD 77,000
- Annual rent
- About AUD 26,000 (AUD 500 per week)
- Annual essentials
- About AUD 20,000 (groceries, transport, utilities, phone, insurance)
- Disposable income
- About AUD 31,000
Quotes
Karan Singh Gill
Indian expatriate living in Australia who posted the video
“Jab maine apni family ko bataya ki main Australia mein 1 lakh dollar kamata hoon, unhone calculator nikala, 67 lakh likha aur mujhe crorepati declare kar diya.”
news18.com
“When I told my family that I earn 1 lakh dollars in Australia, they took out a calculator, wrote 67 lakh and declared me a crorepati.”
livemint.com
Sources
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