While studying at the Indian Institute of Information Technology in Allahabad, Surath Nayak wanted to leave his hometown of Hyderabad, India and travel around the world.
“When I was a kid, I always had this idea in the back of my mind that I wanted to move abroad, but I was a little influenced by Western media. I watch a lot of Hollywood movies, so I was always influenced by that, and I liked the idea of moving to a different country and living there and experiencing what it was like there,” he told CNBC Make It.
Nayak’s first experience living abroad was as a teenager when he participated in an exchange program that sent him to China for 45 days. Almost 10 years later, Nayak had the opportunity to live abroad in March 2025 when he moved to Dublin, Ireland to work as a software development engineer at Amazon. His annual compensation there is estimated to be 122,428 euros (approximately 144,000 US dollars).
When Surath Nayak was in college, he wanted to move away from his hometown of Hyderabad, India. Moved to Dublin, Ireland in 2025.
Sam Jones | CNBC Make It
As a child, Nayak’s father was also a software engineer. He introduced Nayak to the field and helped him understand coding and programming, Nayak says.
Nayak did a six-month internship at Amazon during his senior year and joined the company full-time upon graduation in 2020, receiving annual compensation of approximately INR 6.8 million (US$75,000). He was working in Amazon’s Bengaluru office, about an hour’s flight south of his hometown.
After working at Amazon for a year, Nayak learned that he could get interviews in other countries as long as he worked at the company for at least two years and reached a certain level in the software engineer track. He immediately began looking for other positions at Amazon and eventually ended up in Dublin.
moving to dublin
Mr. Nayak looked for open positions at Amazon offices in the UK, Germany and Ireland, choosing the latter because he knew the technology sector was growing there. According to IT Brew, Google, Meta, Apple and Microsoft are all headquartered in Ireland.
“I was very happy when I found out I got this opportunity,” Nayak said of landing the position in Dublin. “I immediately went to my parents and told them about it. It was a very nice moment. My parents, especially my father, were very happy, because he always supports me in everything.”
Surath Nayak was able to move to Ireland from India in 2025 with help from his employer Amazon.
Sam Jones | CNBC Make It
It took Nayak about six to eight weeks to secure a visa to live and work in Ireland, and Amazon covered all of the costs, he said.
When Nayak arrived in Ireland, Amazon provided him with temporary housing and hired a contractor to help him find a home. The company also helped transport his belongings from India to Ireland.
“For the first month, I did a lot of research,” he says. “I was very excited and very happy. As I researched everything, I realized that I had made the right decision to move here.”
“I feel much more settled here.”
Nayak said the biggest thing he had to adjust to after moving was the weather. He was used to India’s sunny days, long summers and short winters. He also had to get used to the cost of living in Dublin. Compared to Hyderabad, Dublin is very expensive, especially rent and groceries, Nayak said.
“When I was in India, I didn’t really think about my budget because I always spent less in India,” he says. Now, he says, you have to set your own budget.
Nayak shares a three-bedroom house with two colleagues from Amazon. The total rent is 4,000 euros (about $4,725) a month, with Nayak paying 1,450 euros (about $1,713) a month, according to documents seen by CNBC Make It. Here’s a look at the rest of his estimated monthly expenses. All amounts are rounded.
GitHub Copilot: 9 EUR (US $11)Revolut Premium Plan: 9 EUR (US $11)Wi-Fi: 15 EUR (US $18)Telephone bill: 15 EUR (US $18)OpenAI for personal use: 24 EUR (US $28)Streaming services including Netflix and Disney+: 25 EUR (US $30)Public bus transportation: 30 EUR (US $18) $35) Electricity and gas: 50 euros (US $59) Shopping for clothing and latest technology: 100-150 euros (US $118-$177) Groceries: 150-200 euros (US $177-$236) Eating out: 400-500 euros (US $472-$591)
“One thing I spend more on here is eating out. When I was in India, I didn’t eat out much,” Nayak says. “Before, you either ate at home or you ate at the office.”
Surath Nayak says he has lived more in Dublin, Ireland than in his native India. “One of the things we’re spending more on here is eating out,” he says.
Sam Jones | CNBC Make It
Nayak said that when she first moved to Ireland, she found it difficult to connect with people because she was used to having friends everywhere in India.
“I didn’t have to actively go out and look for people and connections, but I realized that I could push myself and that I could make good friends if I went out. I just had to try,” he says.
Nayak says the app Meetup has helped her attend various events and meet people from all over the world.
“People in Dublin are really friendly. I always get good vibes from the people here. I feel very calm here,” he says. “I’ve made some good friends and I love my time here and my work here.”
Looking to the future
In 2023, Nayak bought a three-bedroom, three-bathroom apartment in Hyderabad as an investment property. The property is valued at around 16 million Indian rupees (about 180,000 US dollars) and will eventually be rented out.
“I wanted to make a big investment. Real estate is always a booming and growing business in India, so real estate made the most sense for me,” he says.
But Nayak doesn’t plan to return to India for at least another 10 to 15 years until he feels he has enough money in the bank. He feels comfortable with a net worth of 400,000 to 500,000 euros, but says his long-term goal is to reach 1 million euros (approximately $1.17 million) before exiting.
Surath Nayak plans to stay in Ireland for a long time.
Sam Jones | CNBC Make It
For now, he plans to stay in Ireland for the foreseeable future. He enjoys being able to go to the park and just sit, read, and enjoy the scenery. He also likes how easy it is to travel.
“My quality of life has improved. Since coming to Ireland, I have become accustomed to a certain lifestyle that I enjoy very much, which I would not have had if I had returned to India,” he says.
Over the past year, Nayak says she has been able to travel as she dreamed of doing in college, including road trips around Ireland and visiting the UK with her parents last year.
“I’ve always been a bit of a traveler and when I’m in Ireland I explore everything about Ireland as much as I can,” he says.
Conversion was performed using OANDA exchange rates of 1 Euro to USD 1.18 and 1 Indian Rupee to USD 0.01 on March 2, 2026. All amounts are rounded to the nearest dollar.
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