Global comparison
What your salary is really worth in another country
A job offer abroad rarely compares cleanly with what you earn now. Convert the pay at the exchange rate and you learn how many euros or dollars it equals, but not whether it buys a bigger or smaller life. This tool answers the second question. Enter a salary, pick two countries, and see the local pay that delivers the same standard of living, alongside the price level that decides how far your money stretches.
Same standard of living in United Kingdom
£40,962
matches $60,000 in United States
Local price level (United States = 100)
SwitzerlandCHF 66,432126
United States$60,000100
DenmarkDKK 405,86498
Ireland€52,92096
AustraliaA$85,64494
Luxembourg€50,70092
New ZealandNZ$89,99491
CanadaCA$74,45491
NorwayNOK 572,40689
United Kingdom£40,96287
Finland€47,29285
Belgium€45,13281
SwedenSEK 514,65681
Netherlands€44,52080
Austria€43,23078
France€43,01478SGSingaporeSGD 61,42877
Germany€42,09076HKHong Kong SAR, ChinaHK$346,05674AEUnited Arab EmiratesAED 153,78670
Italy€37,51268
Japan¥5,963,08866
Spain€35,31064
PolandPLN 120,48050Purchasing power parity converts each salary into a common basket of goods, so the figures reflect what your money actually buys locally rather than the headline exchange rate. Equivalents use World Bank private-consumption PPP factors and are shown in each country's own currency. Years vary by country (2024). Data: World Bank (CC BY 4.0).
Reading the price level
The bars rank countries by price level with the United States set at 100. A reading of 70 means a basket of goods that costs 100 dollars in the States costs the equivalent of 70 there, so your earnings go further. A reading above 100 means the opposite. This is why a salary that looks generous after a currency conversion can feel tight on arrival, and why a smaller headline figure in a cheaper country sometimes leaves you better off.
How the comparison works
- Your salary is converted into international dollars using the price level of the country you earn it in.
- That common value is then expressed in the second country at its own price level, giving the local salary with matching buying power.
- The market exchange-rate figure is shown next to it, so the gap between the two makes the local cost of living visible.
- The ranked list applies the same method across the major economies on the site, ordered by how expensive each one is to live in.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between purchasing power parity and the exchange rate?
The exchange rate tells you how many units of one currency you get for another on the money markets. Purchasing power parity tells you how much each currency actually buys at home. Two countries can have the same exchange rate yet very different price levels, so a salary converted at the market rate can buy far more, or far less, once you land and start spending.
How do you work out the equivalent salary?
Each salary is converted into a common basket of goods using the World Bank private-consumption PPP factor for its country, then expressed in the target country at that country’s own factor. The result is the local salary that buys the same standard of living, which is usually different from a straight currency conversion.
Why does a richer country sometimes show a lower price level?
Price level reflects what goods and services cost locally, not how wealthy a country is. A high-income country with a weak currency or cheaper non-traded services can sit below a smaller economy on the price-level scale, which is exactly why exchange-rate conversions alone mislead.
How current are the figures?
They use the most recent World Bank values available for each country, which range across 2011 to 2025 because not every country reports in the same year. The tool shows the year used for the country you pick.
Data source
Purchasing power parity factors, exchange rates and GDP per capita come from the World Bank, World Development Indicators (PA.NUS.PRVT.PP, PA.NUS.FCRF, NY.GDP.PCAP.PP.CD), used under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Figures are estimates for general comparison and not financial advice. Local taxes, housing and personal circumstances change what any salary is worth in practice.