Amrita Singh, an Indian woman living in the United States, revealed that she spent nearly $250 — approximately Rs 21,000 to Rs 23,000 — to repair a small water leak in her house. Sharing her experience on social media, she explained how expensive labour charges in the US can be, even for basic household tasks.
“We paid $250 today to repair a small leak. In the US, if you have even a small repair job at home, you’re easily looking at $100 or $200. Labour costs are so expensive here that for every little task,” she said in her video.
She further added that because of these high repair costs, many people in the US eventually learn to handle small maintenance and repair work themselves.
The clip also featured a text overlay that read, “Ek chota leak aur Rs 21,000 ka reality check.” In the caption, Amrita compared the repair expense with what it might typically cost in India. “India me shayad Rs 500 to 1000 me ho jata… yahan $250,” she wrote.
Her post soon gained traction online, sparking a debate among users about whether such repair charges are actually expensive when compared to salaries in the United States.
Several users pointed out that expenses should be viewed in relation to local earnings. One user commented, “Kama to dollar me rhe ho kharcha rupee me kyu btate ho,” while another wrote, “No surprise in India it’s Rs 250 and in the USA it’s $250. We earn in Rs and pay in Rs. You earn in dollars so you pay in dollars.”
Others argued that the amount was manageable considering the higher income levels abroad. “If salary is 100000 dollars, then it’s very less,” another user remarked.
At the same time, many people jokingly expressed interest in moving to the US after hearing how much plumbers and repair workers earn there. “Me ja rha hu abhi USA,” one user commented humorously, while another added, “Tab to mai v USA aarha hu jaldhi, yaha India me kuch nhi hoga.”
Some users directly compared the rates with Indian service costs, with one comment reading, “Haad hai… chor country… India me 200-300 rs lagte hai… India wapis aa jao.”
The discussion also highlighted a common experience among Indians who move abroad. After living in India, where household services are relatively affordable, many struggle to adjust to the significantly higher labour and maintenance costs in countries like the US. As a result, comparisons between expenses in India and abroad frequently become a subject of online conversation.
