5 ms·

So, I have a dual citizenship, US and Poland(EU). This allows me to basically work anywhere in the world. US is still one of the best places to earn a high inc

by avgDev 4y ago

So, I have a dual citizenship, US and Poland(EU). This allows me to basically work anywhere in the world. US is still one of the best places to earn a high income as a software dev. I work for non-tech as a full stack dev. Good salary but not FAANG levels. My income is higher than a surgeon in Poland. If you want to move I would optimize for income. Just grind leetcode and try to get into the highest paying companies. If you earned $300k+ while living way below your means that money would go REALLY far in some of the European countries. This is my goal anyway. As my net worth reaches somewhere around $3-4 million, I'm going to most likely move back to Poland and buy a house somewhere in the mountains and maybe do some remote dev work for a US based company. Plus, since I am basically more American than Polish and have a good understanding of culture I could do some consulting for Polish companies looking to sell their product in the US. I guess it really isn't the answer you are looking for. Also, keep in mind most countries have policies and laws that are often not popular with the people.

MuffinFlavored 4y ago
> My income is higher than a surgeon in Poland. how does this work if you were to compare the two numbers more closely? like, adjust for cost of living, etc.
- jleyank 4y ago
  Must balance cost of living and all of the non-voluntary deductions on a paystub including insurance. Parts of the us pay real well but require lots of money to have a reasonable existence. For example, us pays way more in social security tax than Canada, and they get noticeably more in benefits. So that and Medicare balance out the higher provincial tax in most of Canada. There are probably similar differences between the us and any European country. Quality of life (very) hard to put a price on, but that relevant as well.
- avgDev 4y ago
  Fuel is more expensive in Poland. Healthcare is nationalized but people often need to pay for private doctors. I think medication is cheaper. The highest income tax in the US is 39%, in Poland 32%. Generally, US dollar is much stronger than Polish currency. This means the dollar will go much further in Poland and gives you move buying power globally. The life in Poland is much slower though, more family oriented. If it wasn't for the money I would much prefer to live in Poland but I think there is generally more opportunity in the US.
rwaksmunski 4y ago
This is pretty much what I've done, moved to Polish mountains when Covid hit. 8.5% income tax rate, gigabit fiber, 3 story house with solar panels and geothermal heating. Very low cost of living, 6 figure income, 7 figure net worth. Healthy groceries direct from local farmers. I can pet the cow that I get the milk from. Life is really, really nice.
- avgDev 4y ago
  Which area are you in if you don't mind sharing? I really like Krynica Zdjor but houses can get really expensive in that area.
  - rwaksmunski 4y ago
    Podhale, yeah talk about expensive.

by avgDev 4y ago

MuffinFlavored 4y ago

> My income is higher than a surgeon in Poland. how does this work if you were to compare the two numbers more closely? like, adjust for cost of living, etc.

jleyank 4y ago
Must balance cost of living and all of the non-voluntary deductions on a paystub including insurance. Parts of the us pay real well but require lots of money to have a reasonable existence. For example, us pays way more in social security tax than Canada, and they get noticeably more in benefits. So that and Medicare balance out the higher provincial tax in most of Canada. There are probably similar differences between the us and any European country. Quality of life (very) hard to put a price on, but that relevant as well.
avgDev 4y ago
Fuel is more expensive in Poland. Healthcare is nationalized but people often need to pay for private doctors. I think medication is cheaper. The highest income tax in the US is 39%, in Poland 32%. Generally, US dollar is much stronger than Polish currency. This means the dollar will go much further in Poland and gives you move buying power globally. The life in Poland is much slower though, more family oriented. If it wasn't for the money I would much prefer to live in Poland but I think there is generally more opportunity in the US.

rwaksmunski 4y ago

This is pretty much what I've done, moved to Polish mountains when Covid hit. 8.5% income tax rate, gigabit fiber, 3 story house with solar panels and geothermal heating. Very low cost of living, 6 figure income, 7 figure net worth. Healthy groceries direct from local farmers. I can pet the cow that I get the milk from. Life is really, really nice.

avgDev 4y ago
Which area are you in if you don't mind sharing? I really like Krynica Zdjor but houses can get really expensive in that area.
- rwaksmunski 4y ago
  Podhale, yeah talk about expensive.