New York vs San Francisco— What are the NRIs thinking?

I do a lot of events across the globe and I had some very surprising learnings from the polls I have in them. This one is SF vs NYC!

Since this is a self-selected audience, the results reflect the event’s focus — the NYC gathering was specifically targeted at relocation, while the SF audience was through a conference, which drew a broader mix.

In New York, a noticeably higher share of participants were already 100% sure about making the move back. By contrast, the SF audience leaned more toward weighing the pros and cons, and even included a large segment that had firmly decided not to return — something we didn’t see at all in NYC.

Across both groups, the most powerful drivers for moving back to India were a sense of belonging and the pull of being closer to parents. Emotional and family-centered reasons carried more weight for the NYC audience, while the SF group stood out for placing far greater emphasis on career opportunities as a deciding factor.

Let’s deep dive into Entrepreneurship in the next section, as this is interesting!

The SF audience displayed a far stronger entrepreneurial streak, with many participants expressing a clear drive to start businesses in India. The NYC group was more measured, with many respondents opting for “Maybe” when asked about entrepreneurship. Interestingly, both groups included a similar minority who were not interested in pursuing this path at all.

It’s a clear winner— San Fran has a startup culture that embraces everyone around it.

When it comes to choosing a city, the NYC audience showed a clear tilt toward Mumbai, making it their top destination. The SF audience, however, was more balanced, with interest spread across Bangalore, Mumbai, and Hyderabad. Pune emerged as a stronger preference among New Yorkers than among their Bay Area counterparts.

Mumbai meri jaan! It was obvious because NYC —> Finance capital —> Mumbai.

For most people in both groups, moving back isn’t seen as an immediate step but rather a long-term plan. The majority envision relocating in two to three years or simply “eventually.” Only a small fraction are considering the move within the next year.

Far most overlapping part of this comparision— everyone had similar timelines, and yes, “eventually” is still making the rounds.

So what do you think? Which side are you on?