Indian techie living in Sweden shares the hidden struggles behind life abroad: ‘You do everything alone’

Life abroad often seems perfect from the outside. Clean air, smooth roads, efficient social systems, many imagine it as an ideal place to live. But for those who have spent years trying to build a life there, the reality can be very different. Ankur Tyagi recently revealed the tough side of living abroad.(Pexels/Representational Image) Ankur Tyagi, an Indian living in Sweden, recently revealed the tough side of living abroad on X (formerly Twitter). “I have lived in the EU now from the past 5 years, and people think it is all clean air, good roads, and perfect social systems. Nobody really knows what it takes to build a life here,” the caption of the post reads. Life abroad comes at cost: In the post, Tyagi highlighted that living abroad means doing almost everything alone. From cooking and cleaning to managing bills and raising children. “Friends are polite but dant. Community is rare,” the post adds. According to Tyagi, back home, people may struggle with corruption and chaos, but the sense of togetherness is stronger. Abroad, problems are different, leaving deep impressions that only those who have experienced life abroad can truly understand. “Every place has a cost. Most of us are just learning which costs we can survive.” Tyagi adds. He expressed excitement about returning to Delhi on 5th December. “F*** AQI, who cares? I live in 10 AQI for the entire year,” he wrote. “I need some real oxygen now of friends and family. HT.com has reached out to the user for a comment. This report will be updated when he responds. Check out the post here: Here’s how people reacted to the post: The post struck a chord with many users, who shared their own experiences of loneliness, cultural adjustment, and the challenges of building a life abroad. One of the users commented, “Rightly put. There is a reason that a lot of productive Europeans are leaving for different lands.” A second user commented, “All places have their pros and cons. It depends on us which pros we settle with.” “I stayed in the US for a few months and realized it’s not for me. Not saying it’s true for everyone, but I felt completely lonely there,” another user commented. The post was shared on November 24, 2025, and since then, it has gained 28,000 views and numerous comments.