Salary Intelligence
Where your salary actually goes furthest
A high salary doesn't always mean a better move. Compare 38 professions across 43 countries on take-home pay after tax, rent and cost of living — anchored to each country's national median wage.
Where a mid software engineer keeps the most (purchasing power)
🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates $147,138, 🇭🇺 Hungary $131,259, 🇱🇹 Lithuania $130,807 — often not the highest-paying country on paper.
| # | Country | PPP-equiv. net |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $147,138 |
| 2 | 🇭🇺 Hungary | $131,259 |
| 3 | 🇱🇹 Lithuania | $130,807 |
| 4 | 🇨🇿 Czechia | $127,677 |
| 5 | 🇪🇪 Estonia | $122,670 |
Where the money goes: Software Engineer in United Arab Emirates
Gross pay erodes to take-home after tax, then adjusts for local prices — a mid-level estimate, every step sourced.
Updated · National medians (Eurostat / national stats) · US BLS OEWS May 2024 · World Bank ICP 2021 (PPP)
- Gross$106,158
- Income tax−$0
- Net (after tax)$106,158
- Local prices+$40,980
- Real value$147,138
Keep rate 100% · net $106,158 · real value $147,138 (your money goes further here)
| Step | USD/yr | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| Gross salary | $106,158 | Estimated gross for the role. |
| − Income tax & social | −$0 | Resident tax brackets; you keep 100%. |
| Net (after tax) | $106,158 | Take-home in nominal USD. |
| + Local prices (PPP) | +$40,980 | Cheaper than the US — your net buys more. |
| Real value (PPP-equiv. net) | $147,138 | What the net is worth in US price terms. |
Modelled estimate for a mid-level role, not a job offer; regulated professions need local credential recognition. Net uses each country's resident income-tax brackets.
What is salary intelligence?
Three ways to read salary
“Salary” can mean three different questions. Pick the one you're asking.
Your salary
What's my pay worth abroad?
Enter your salary and see take-home after local tax and cost of living — or the gross you'd need elsewhere to match it.
Local market
What does a typical local earn?
The national median wage by country — gross, after-tax net and PPP-adjusted, each anchored to a primary source.
Your profession
What can my job earn there?
Per-profession estimates across 43 countries, ranked by purchasing-power net and compared to the local median.
Salaries by profession
Pick a role to see where it pays the most after tax across 43 countries.
Technology
~$102,226 net in the US · 2.2× the national median
~$130,878 net in the US · 2.9× the national median
~$124,043 net in the US · 2.8× the national median
~$88,037 net in the US · 1.9× the national median
~$104,209 net in the US · 2.3× the national median
~$100,121 net in the US · 2.2× the national median
~$100,387 net in the US · 2.2× the national median
~$96,642 net in the US · 2.1× the national median
~$106,956 net in the US · 2.4× the national median
~$75,662 net in the US · 1.6× the national median
Business & Finance
~$68,627 net in the US · 1.4× the national median
~$58,075 net in the US · 1.2× the national median
~$93,250 net in the US · 2× the national median
~$72,145 net in the US · 1.5× the national median
~$79,180 net in the US · 1.7× the national median
~$86,215 net in the US · 1.8× the national median
~$75,662 net in the US · 1.6× the national median
~$72,145 net in the US · 1.5× the national median
~$79,180 net in the US · 1.7× the national median
Healthcare
~$170,982 net in the US · 3.9× the national median
~$54,407 net in the US · 1.1× the national median
~$127,461 net in the US · 2.9× the national median
~$103,538 net in the US · 2.3× the national median
~$75,662 net in the US · 1.6× the national median
Education
Trades & Services
~$52,278 net in the US · 1× the national median
~$52,777 net in the US · 1.1× the national median
~$78,891 net in the US · 1.7× the national median
~$80,813 net in the US · 1.7× the national median
~$51,185 net in the US · 1× the national median
~$56,759 net in the US · 1.1× the national median
Creative & Remote
Leadership
Salaries by country
What every profession earns in a given country, with the national median anchor.
How salary intelligence works
Frequently Asked Questions
What is salary intelligence?▾
A relocation-specific way of comparing salaries: not just the gross number, but what's left after local tax, rent and cost of living, restated in purchasing-power terms. A high salary in an expensive, high-tax country can leave you with less than a lower salary somewhere cheaper.
How are the salary figures calculated?▾
Profession gross is scaled from US base salaries by an OECD/World-Bank-derived country wage multiplier (a modelled estimate), netted through WhereNext's tax engine, and PPP-adjusted using the World Bank ICP 2021 index. Every figure is anchored to that country's primary-sourced national median wage so you can see how the role compares to the typical worker.
Is this tax or employment advice?▾
No. These are directional estimates for relocation planning. Actual pay varies by employer, seniority, bonus, equity, contract type and tax regime. Verify any offer with the employer and a qualified tax advisor.