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I am with you on this one! I really don’t get it… I love in France (French riviera) and my salary despite being very good for the region is very far from the hu

by freedom2099 5y ago

I am with you on this one! I really don’t get it… I love in France (French riviera) and my salary despite being very good for the region is very far from the hundreds of thousands of FAANG companies in the US… and yet I more than once turned down offers from FAANGs because no amount of money can bet all the other benefits I get… 35h work week (no extra Hours), very relaxed corporate environment, 35 days of vacation a year (and you are forced to take them all), basically unlimited sick leaves, telework 4 days a week (and living 10 minutes from the office), living in a nice home next to the sea! No amount of money can compensate for the possibility to have plenty of time for yourself and your family!

Hokusai 5y ago
> I love in France Freudian slip.
- freedom2099 5y ago
  Probably XD
swift532 5y ago
Sorry if I assume too much, but I think you'd be thinking quite differently if you had to consider buying your first home on the French riviera now, on something like a 60.000-100.000 euro pre-tax salary.
- freedom2099 5y ago
  I just did (although not my first, that one I bought 10 years ago)… sold may old apartment (still in the French Riviera) and with my wife we bought a very nice house 100m from the sea! Mortgage interest rates are great at the moment… 0.9% ain’t bad!
  - kubb 5y ago
    "Why do you need money? Aren't you already rich like me?"
    - vecinu 5y ago
      Yeah the cognitive dissonance is fascinating in people all over the world. I hear the same responses from people here in California. "Why don't you stop renting? Just buy a house like I did 15 years ago, taxes are so low!" Right... your taxes are artificially low thanks to Prop 13. "Why do we need high density housing? Just look further away from the city for cheaper housing, I'm going to stay put".
      - freedom2099 5y ago
        I literally sold my old apartment last year for almost the same price I got it for… so no profit. And my current home was bought this year… therefore considering the current housing market.
        vecinu 5y ago
        In SF/LA or SD? How is that possible? The entire market has moved significantly up in the last few years. Don't forget to subtract sales commission and expenses.
        freedom2099 5y ago
        In southern France… the French Riviera! I am not from the US!
  - cableshaft 5y ago
    Roughly how much did you spend on the home, if you don't mind me asking? I'm curious how expensive that area is. Most homes that are near the sea are pretty damn expensive in the US. Or if not, have significant flooding, hurricane, and/or will probably be underwater thanks to climate change in 10-15 years.
    - freedom2099 5y ago
      Here homes are all built using either brick ore reinforced (like my home) and the climate is mild. Over the years there are hardly any damage… mine might only need to fix a bit of paint on a couple of corners… but 10 years old and no maintenance required so far (for the previous owner was a second home he barely used)
- Aeolun 5y ago
  Isn’t that a very reasonable salary to be buying a home on? Especially at the upper end of that range.
  - freedom2099 5y ago
    It is… most of my colleagues own a house or an apartment and we all have more or less the same salary!
  - _Wintermute 5y ago
    Just as a counter-point, I live and work in London. I can't imagine ever being able to buy a home here unless something drastically changes, house prices are close to 10x my annual salary.
    - goodpoint 5y ago
      > house prices are close to 10x my annual salary Plenty of people in the world save for 20 years for a house. https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/price-gdp-per-cap https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/price-gdp-per-cap
      - oblio 5y ago
        And historically houses have always been hovering around the same 20x multiplier for desirable places, except for a few small blips like the postwar boom. And of course stuff like the American westward expansion, because land was dirt cheap as were materials (everything was forested so you just had to start chopping, more or less).
  - odonnellryan 5y ago
    Homes in that area are about 10x that salary - so no. Reasonable ends at 3-4x your salary. I would be surprised if you could get a loan if you're taking a mortgage out that is 8x+ your salary... but maybe you can in France? Not in the US!
    - 5y ago
stef25 5y ago
Are you in a big city? Love that part of the world but it ain't cheap. Maybe even the most expensive part of the EU outside of London.
- freedom2099 5y ago
  I live near Cannes, in a town of 70k people. Not super cheap but not even that expensive!
  - redanddead 5y ago
    How is life there?
    - freedom2099 5y ago
      Very nice! Plenty of people from all around the world (many international IT companies have offices in the area)… my group of friends have more than 7 different nationalities in it! It’s quieter during the winter and very lively during summer. Weather is amazing all year round… there are 16 degrees outside right now. If you feel the need for a something that only a bigger city can offer Canne is 10 minutes away by car and Nice 20.
      - blurrypepe 5y ago
        Wow! I'm an IT student currently living in Antibes, working in Cannes and with quite a few friends from all over the world working in Sophia. It's a pleasure to see people from France on HN!
        freedom2099 5y ago
        I live in Antibes too!
        stef25 5y ago
        Captain Tibes!
throwaway6734 5y ago
You're living the dream my friend!
- freedom2099 5y ago
  I do my best XD
scandox 5y ago
I'm contemplating a move to the Riviera (family reasons). Any general advice on the tech scene down there? My French is bad at present but I have quite a bit of room for manouevre...
- freedom2099 5y ago
  Between Nice and Cannes there is the Sophia Antipolis technopole where various tech companies have offices. Most (like mine) use English as the official language used on premises. I have been living here for a decade and my French is not particularly good, mostly because I don’t use it much.
  - throw220113 5y ago
jrockway 5y ago
I think you get all of those things at the FAANG companies. You can set your watch by people arriving at 9 and leaving at 5, and disappearing for an hour to have lunch seemed pretty normal (that's 35h).

Hokusai 5y ago

> I love in France Freudian slip.

freedom2099 5y ago
Probably XD

swift532 5y ago

Sorry if I assume too much, but I think you'd be thinking quite differently if you had to consider buying your first home on the French riviera now, on something like a 60.000-100.000 euro pre-tax salary.

freedom2099 5y ago
I just did (although not my first, that one I bought 10 years ago)… sold may old apartment (still in the French Riviera) and with my wife we bought a very nice house 100m from the sea! Mortgage interest rates are great at the moment… 0.9% ain’t bad!
- kubb 5y ago
  "Why do you need money? Aren't you already rich like me?"
  - vecinu 5y ago
    Yeah the cognitive dissonance is fascinating in people all over the world. I hear the same responses from people here in California. "Why don't you stop renting? Just buy a house like I did 15 years ago, taxes are so low!" Right... your taxes are artificially low thanks to Prop 13. "Why do we need high density housing? Just look further away from the city for cheaper housing, I'm going to stay put".
    - freedom2099 5y ago
      I literally sold my old apartment last year for almost the same price I got it for… so no profit. And my current home was bought this year… therefore considering the current housing market.
      - vecinu 5y ago
        In SF/LA or SD? How is that possible? The entire market has moved significantly up in the last few years. Don't forget to subtract sales commission and expenses.
        freedom2099 5y ago
        In southern France… the French Riviera! I am not from the US!
- cableshaft 5y ago
  Roughly how much did you spend on the home, if you don't mind me asking? I'm curious how expensive that area is. Most homes that are near the sea are pretty damn expensive in the US. Or if not, have significant flooding, hurricane, and/or will probably be underwater thanks to climate change in 10-15 years.
  - freedom2099 5y ago
    Here homes are all built using either brick ore reinforced (like my home) and the climate is mild. Over the years there are hardly any damage… mine might only need to fix a bit of paint on a couple of corners… but 10 years old and no maintenance required so far (for the previous owner was a second home he barely used)
Aeolun 5y ago
Isn’t that a very reasonable salary to be buying a home on? Especially at the upper end of that range.
- freedom2099 5y ago
  It is… most of my colleagues own a house or an apartment and we all have more or less the same salary!
- _Wintermute 5y ago
  Just as a counter-point, I live and work in London. I can't imagine ever being able to buy a home here unless something drastically changes, house prices are close to 10x my annual salary.
  - goodpoint 5y ago
    > house prices are close to 10x my annual salary Plenty of people in the world save for 20 years for a house. https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/price-gdp-per-cap https://www.globalpropertyguide.com/Europe/price-gdp-per-cap
    - oblio 5y ago
      And historically houses have always been hovering around the same 20x multiplier for desirable places, except for a few small blips like the postwar boom. And of course stuff like the American westward expansion, because land was dirt cheap as were materials (everything was forested so you just had to start chopping, more or less).
- odonnellryan 5y ago
  Homes in that area are about 10x that salary - so no. Reasonable ends at 3-4x your salary. I would be surprised if you could get a loan if you're taking a mortgage out that is 8x+ your salary... but maybe you can in France? Not in the US!
  - 5y ago

stef25 5y ago

Are you in a big city? Love that part of the world but it ain't cheap. Maybe even the most expensive part of the EU outside of London.

freedom2099 5y ago
I live near Cannes, in a town of 70k people. Not super cheap but not even that expensive!
- redanddead 5y ago
  How is life there?
  - freedom2099 5y ago
    Very nice! Plenty of people from all around the world (many international IT companies have offices in the area)… my group of friends have more than 7 different nationalities in it! It’s quieter during the winter and very lively during summer. Weather is amazing all year round… there are 16 degrees outside right now. If you feel the need for a something that only a bigger city can offer Canne is 10 minutes away by car and Nice 20.
    - blurrypepe 5y ago
      Wow! I'm an IT student currently living in Antibes, working in Cannes and with quite a few friends from all over the world working in Sophia. It's a pleasure to see people from France on HN!
      - freedom2099 5y ago
        I live in Antibes too!
        stef25 5y ago
        Captain Tibes!

throwaway6734 5y ago

You're living the dream my friend!

freedom2099 5y ago
I do my best XD

scandox 5y ago

I'm contemplating a move to the Riviera (family reasons). Any general advice on the tech scene down there? My French is bad at present but I have quite a bit of room for manouevre...

freedom2099 5y ago
Between Nice and Cannes there is the Sophia Antipolis technopole where various tech companies have offices. Most (like mine) use English as the official language used on premises. I have been living here for a decade and my French is not particularly good, mostly because I don’t use it much.
- throw220113 5y ago

jrockway 5y ago

I think you get all of those things at the FAANG companies. You can set your watch by people arriving at 9 and leaving at 5, and disappearing for an hour to have lunch seemed pretty normal (that's 35h).