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Depending on your geography, it might be a fair price to pay for universal healthcare, free daycare and university for your kids, as well as having a notion of

Depending on your geography, it might be a fair price to pay for universal healthcare, free daycare and university for your kids, as well as having a notion of evening and weekend. I'm still looking for a golden tool to convert total compensation plus geography into expected happiness.

mminer237 4y ago
The average American pays 10% of his income on healthcare expenses. [1] That would mean it would be around $5,000/year. The US charges maybe $30,000 more for college than some cheaper countries. With two kids, that's maybe $1,500/year amortized over a career. Those aren't going to be worth it for the average person unless you live in Norway, Luxembourg, or the UAE. I doubt there's any country where those outweigh the average programmer salary difference, let alone after taxes. Even if you have a serious health condition and crappy health insurance, deductibles cap out at $7,000/year. [1]: https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2019/05/02/health-care-costs https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2019/05/02/health-ca...
- Gadiguibou 4y ago
  This feels a little reductive of the benefits that come from public education and healthcare. Developers making 300,000$ a year don't make up the entirety of the US population. I think living somewhere where everyone gets an opportunity at life contributes greatly to overall happiness and helps reduce social tensions. Good urban design, a nationalized electricity grid, or train system also contribute a lot to the disparity in taxes and salaries.
- TrackerFF 4y ago
  But there are of course other issues you don't see too much in other western countries - such as: - rampant homelessness problem - getting your car broken into, home burglarized, robbed, etc. - police brutality - gun crime - higher rate of traffic accidents - larger distances to travel / commute - abortion rights - political diversity and so on. I'm obviously not saying that those are at all unique to the US, but many of those things are more frequent in the US than comparable west-European countries. Of course, if you live in a very nice area - those are things you might never experience in the US (at least as far as crime goes).
- MangezBien 4y ago
  Cost of college is not the major cost of kids. Daycare can be in excess of 2,000/month.

mminer237 4y ago

The average American pays 10% of his income on healthcare expenses. [1] That would mean it would be around $5,000/year. The US charges maybe $30,000 more for college than some cheaper countries. With two kids, that's maybe $1,500/year amortized over a career. Those aren't going to be worth it for the average person unless you live in Norway, Luxembourg, or the UAE. I doubt there's any country where those outweigh the average programmer salary difference, let alone after taxes. Even if you have a serious health condition and crappy health insurance, deductibles cap out at $7,000/year. [1]: https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2019/05/02/health-care-costs https://www.advisory.com/daily-briefing/2019/05/02/health-ca...

Gadiguibou 4y ago
This feels a little reductive of the benefits that come from public education and healthcare. Developers making 300,000$ a year don't make up the entirety of the US population. I think living somewhere where everyone gets an opportunity at life contributes greatly to overall happiness and helps reduce social tensions. Good urban design, a nationalized electricity grid, or train system also contribute a lot to the disparity in taxes and salaries.
TrackerFF 4y ago
But there are of course other issues you don't see too much in other western countries - such as: - rampant homelessness problem - getting your car broken into, home burglarized, robbed, etc. - police brutality - gun crime - higher rate of traffic accidents - larger distances to travel / commute - abortion rights - political diversity and so on. I'm obviously not saying that those are at all unique to the US, but many of those things are more frequent in the US than comparable west-European countries. Of course, if you live in a very nice area - those are things you might never experience in the US (at least as far as crime goes).
MangezBien 4y ago
Cost of college is not the major cost of kids. Daycare can be in excess of 2,000/month.