Country pairs · 2026

Salary after tax and cost of living, country by country

Moving country changes two numbers at once: how much of your salary survives tax, and how far what is left actually goes. These 40 comparisons run the same salary through both countries' official tax rules, then adjust for local prices, so you can see the real difference rather than a currency conversion.

Updated 6 September 2026. Take-home from each country's official income tax and social contribution rules; price levels from World Bank purchasing power data.

Every comparison shows take-home at five salary points, the split between income tax and social contributions, the local price level, and the salary you would need in the other country to live the same way. The underlying numbers are downloadable as CSV or JSON on each page.

Moving from the UK

UK vs Germany Keeps 75% vs 61% of an $80,000 salary, and Germany is 13.1% cheaper to live in. UK vs Australia Keeps 75% vs 76% of an $80,000 salary, and Australia is 7.9% dearer to live in. UK vs Canada Keeps 75% vs 74% of an $80,000 salary, and Canada is 3.8% dearer to live in. UK vs Ireland Keeps 75% vs 70% of an $80,000 salary, and Ireland is 9.4% dearer to live in. UK vs Switzerland Keeps 75% vs 83% of an $80,000 salary, and Switzerland is 44.1% dearer to live in. UK vs Netherlands Keeps 75% vs 69% of an $80,000 salary, and Netherlands is 8% cheaper to live in. UK vs France Keeps 75% vs 67% of an $80,000 salary, and France is 11.1% cheaper to live in. UK vs New Zealand Keeps 75% vs 73% of an $80,000 salary, and New Zealand is 4% dearer to live in. UK vs Sweden Keeps 75% vs 70% of an $80,000 salary, and Sweden is 7% cheaper to live in. UK vs Singapore Keeps 75% vs 76% of an $80,000 salary, and Singapore is 12.3% cheaper to live in. UK vs UAE Keeps 75% vs 100% of an $80,000 salary, and UAE is 20% cheaper to live in. UK vs Spain Keeps 75% vs 67% of an $80,000 salary, and Spain is 27% cheaper to live in. UK vs Italy Keeps 75% vs 62% of an $80,000 salary, and Italy is 22.5% cheaper to live in. UK vs Norway Keeps 75% vs 72% of an $80,000 salary, and Norway is 1.7% dearer to live in. UK vs Denmark Keeps 75% vs 65% of an $80,000 salary, and Denmark is 12.4% dearer to live in.

Moving from Germany

Germany vs Switzerland Keeps 61% vs 83% of an $80,000 salary, and Switzerland is 65.7% dearer to live in. Germany vs Austria Keeps 61% vs 61% of an $80,000 salary, and Austria is 2.8% dearer to live in. Germany vs Netherlands Keeps 61% vs 69% of an $80,000 salary, and Netherlands is 5.8% dearer to live in. Germany vs Australia Keeps 61% vs 76% of an $80,000 salary, and Australia is 24.1% dearer to live in. Germany vs Canada Keeps 61% vs 74% of an $80,000 salary, and Canada is 19.4% dearer to live in. Germany vs Sweden Keeps 61% vs 70% of an $80,000 salary, and Sweden is 7% dearer to live in. Germany vs France Keeps 61% vs 67% of an $80,000 salary, and France is 2.2% dearer to live in.

Moving from Australia

Australia vs New Zealand Keeps 76% vs 73% of an $80,000 salary, and New Zealand is 3.6% cheaper to live in. Australia vs Canada Keeps 76% vs 74% of an $80,000 salary, and Canada is 3.8% cheaper to live in. Australia vs Netherlands Keeps 76% vs 69% of an $80,000 salary, and Netherlands is 14.8% cheaper to live in. Australia vs Singapore Keeps 76% vs 76% of an $80,000 salary, and Singapore is 18.7% cheaper to live in.

Moving from Canada

Canada vs Netherlands Keeps 74% vs 69% of an $80,000 salary, and Netherlands is 11.4% cheaper to live in.

Moving from Switzerland

Switzerland vs Austria Keeps 83% vs 61% of an $80,000 salary, and Austria is 38% cheaper to live in. Switzerland vs Luxembourg Keeps 83% vs 69% of an $80,000 salary, and Luxembourg is 27.3% cheaper to live in.

Moving from the Netherlands

Netherlands vs Belgium Keeps 69% vs 58% of an $80,000 salary, and Belgium is 1.4% dearer to live in. Netherlands vs New Zealand Keeps 69% vs 73% of an $80,000 salary, and New Zealand is 13.1% dearer to live in.

Moving from Sweden

Sweden vs Norway Keeps 70% vs 72% of an $80,000 salary, and Norway is 9.4% dearer to live in. Sweden vs Denmark Keeps 70% vs 65% of an $80,000 salary, and Denmark is 20.8% dearer to live in.

Moving from Norway

Norway vs Denmark Keeps 72% vs 65% of an $80,000 salary, and Denmark is 10.5% dearer to live in.

Moving from Singapore

Singapore vs Hong Kong Keeps 76% vs 87% of an $80,000 salary, and Hong Kong is 3.5% cheaper to live in. Singapore vs UAE Keeps 76% vs 100% of an $80,000 salary, and UAE is 8.9% cheaper to live in.

Moving from France

France vs Spain Keeps 67% vs 67% of an $80,000 salary, and Spain is 17.9% cheaper to live in. France vs Italy Keeps 67% vs 62% of an $80,000 salary, and Italy is 12.8% cheaper to live in.

Moving from Spain

Spain vs Italy Keeps 67% vs 62% of an $80,000 salary, and Italy is 6.3% dearer to live in.

Moving from Ireland

Ireland vs Netherlands Keeps 70% vs 69% of an $80,000 salary, and Netherlands is 15.9% cheaper to live in.

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