₹2,500 medicine in India costs ₹42,000 in US — American medical bill stuns Indian man, suggests ‘retiring in India’

An Indian senior citizen visiting the US was left stunned by the exorbitant medical costs in America — a medicine that cost just ₹2,500 in India was priced at ₹42,000 in the US.

Considering the comparatively low price of medicines and easy availability of medical facilities in India, he called those spending their retirement years in the country “fortunate”.

In a viral X post, Adhir Sinha shared that he and his wife have been living in Seattle, Washington, with their daughter for the past two months.

When the couple first came to the US, the wife was suffering from a severe respiratory issue and had brought a stash of medicines from India. However, in 2 months, as she had “almost recovered”, she ran out of medicines.

Sinha said he asked his daughter to schedule an appointment with a pulmonologist or respiratory specialist in Seattle.

Here's what surprised him about the US healthcare:

In the viral post, Sinha shared that they had to consult a general physician first. “We were given an appointment for a week later—and that too, only via a video call.”

After about 10 minutes into the tele-appointment, Sinha said the doctor had prescribed appropriate medicines and that the couple could get them from a pharmacy. “We were told the medicines were not immediately available and would take 4–5 days to arrive. We finally received the medicines on the fifth day.”

But the real dealbreaker for Sinha was the cost — he said that even after a 50% discount, he had to pay ₹21,000 for the “Made In India” medicine, which he could easily buy for ₹2,500 back home.

“Surprisingly, the medicines were manufactured by 'Cipla' and bore the label 'Made in India'. Even after a 50% discount through US medical insurance, we still had to pay an equivalent of ₹21,000. This means medicines costing just ₹2,500 in India cost a staggering ₹42,000 in the US,” Sinha wrote.

“It took us 12 days to obtain medicines here that are readily available at any pharmacy in India,” he added.

He was then hit with another big bill — a doctor's consultation fee. “A week later, we received a bill of $283 (approximately ₹23,000) for the doctor's consultation fee,” Sinha said.

India is ‘filled with conveniences’

“Consider yourselves to be fortunate to be living in India during your retirement years,” Sinha said, adding that the “good life” Indians search for abroad is actually in India.

“pause to think... certain everyday conveniences—unavailable even to billionaires in London or New York—are easily accessible to the middle class in India,” he said.

He also shared 7 examples to prove his point “that even the life of a common person in India amounts to a ‘VIP lifestyle’ in the US, including affordable mobile data, quick-commerce services, easy access to healthcare, domestic help, UPI payments, everyday conveniences such as free drinking water at restaurants, and strong community support.

“India is not merely a country; it is a wonderful world filled with conveniences at every turn,” Sinha said.

How netizens reacted:

Social media users had mixed reactions to Sinha's post. While some understood the emotion behind the post, others highlighted how the same country can treat two people from different classes in completely different ways.

“Agreed, if you are upper middle class, India is the best place. But, the country as a whole should focus on keeping surroundings clean, and also personal hygiene,” a user said.

“Cost of living is high for the quality of life!!” another user said. “Main thing i like is the low cost of basic food in India is possible! If you’re even low income you can manage without processed food! Food industry to have so much processed food is cut cost which affects low income a lot!”

However, a critic questioned, “How many people in India including decent rich people can get to the hospital on time if they are having an heart attack? I will just leave it here.”