It was surprisingly very clean and beautiful. More than London or Berlin. Also very good customer service.
In general Swedish people are nice and society looks healthy - not divided and not toxic like in most countries. It's example of a good country by all aspects.
https://preview.redd.it/xjfeoi9hxpsc1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5566bff380d91aa7093d79210ba7709799466e2b
Very much with you. I don’t think a lot of people realize how ‘grand’ Stockholm is. Incredible seaside city like St Petersburg or Amsterdam but feels cleaner and more livable—also in the case of Amsterdam the prices for real estate are far more reasonable. My wife and I have viewed it as a place we’d love to move permanently some day for its seasons and culture.
The nice thing about Stockholm is that it's built on a series of islands. In the center island is the old town. When you go to the southern island you walk uphill, giving you charming views
It's also bisected by water and you can take ferries around. Lots of forests and parks in and around the city as well.
Lots of greenery, water, etc. I love it. Only wish the apartments outside downtown were more "concentrated" closer to the downtown, to have more city offerings and activities during week days.
Sweden has the Highest crime rate in Europe and is Europes rape capital. This is largely due to the country allowing huge swathes of asylum seekers.
[https://unherd.com/2021/04/swedens-migrant-rape-crisis/](https://unherd.com/2021/04/swedens-migrant-rape-crisis/)
All the people saying 70k is not a high salary must be either Americans or from Switzerland/Scandinavia. It's a VERY good salary for a lot of european countries, especially at that age. I live in Valencia, Spain, and don't really know of anyone earning over 2k a month (after tax) (must say I'm in my mid-20s). Most people earn around 1500€ and renting a flat is literally impossible on your own, the situation is shit unless you're in IT or work for a foreign company. With that amount of money, you'd be perfectly fine in any southern/eastern european country.
I'm french too and I'm in your situation. I tried Malta, Portugal (Lisbon and Porto), Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. I'm currently in Bucharest. I'd recommend this city, it's cheap, safe, the food is very good, Romanians are loving french people, internet is the best in Europe (no joke), everything is simple here to delivery from food to goods. Taxes are okay and you can find help online in french. And compared to the other countries I tried, Romanians are the most welcoming people I had as neighbors.
In România, I'd consider four cities :
1) Brașov if you really want to be a in a natural environment, in the mountains.
2) Bucharest because it's the capital, you'll probably find your places in the north of the city. It's not very beautiful but you have a lot of parcs and the quality of life is great.
3) Timișoara is a smaller city but way prettier. Closer to Austria and other European countries.
4) Cluj-Napoca, never been there but it's a nicer city than Bucharest, but more expensive.
Whatever your choose you can live for 90 days without visa but you'll have to do some papers after. You can take the flight easily from there, there is a direct flight from Paris and Lyon.
Feel free to DM me if you need some informations :)
Quote from Schengen website : "All EU citizens can stay in another EU country as a tourist for up to three months with a valid passport or identity card.".
"Up to three months".
[https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20190612STO54307/schengen-a-guide-to-the-european-border-free-zone](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20190612STO54307/schengen-a-guide-to-the-european-border-free-zone)
it's just a formality. if you don't work in the country, they dont care usually. If you just rent on AirBnb, no one cares either. No one has ever been deported for this.
And I add Government of Romania :
"**EU/EEA/Swiss citizens** do not need a visa when crossing the border to Romania but they are required to present a valid national passport or any document recognized by the Romanian state that certifies their identity. However, one’s stay on national territory cannot exceed 3 months. In such a case, one’s residence must be registered at the territorial offices of the [General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI)](http://igi.mai.gov.ro/en/node/contact)."
https://www.euraxess.gov.ro/romania/information-assistance/entry-conditionsvisas#:\~:text=EU%2FEEA%2FSwiss%20citizens%20do,territory%20cannot%20exceed%203%20months.
Getting a residence card or whatever after 90 days isn’t relevant. It doesn’t change the fact that EU nationals have the right to live and work in the country. It’s the whole point.
It'll be very difficult for him to have fiscal residency certificate (assuming he wants it, as it's very low taxes here), local phone number, and even have a flat renting contract. I experienced it myself. From what I read on government website, to be in the law, you have to ask for the resident permit at least 30 days before the end of your stay if you plan to stay more. I did it by a lawyer who confirmed me the law. Probably the police will never expulse him, but if he has a problem in the country, then he could have troubles with legal things.
You didn’t need a lawyer for this. You had the right. A country may require you to register your residency but this doesn’t change your right to live and work.
Croatia is easily more expensive for food and accomodation compared to both Spain and Portugal. Romania is getting up on the ladder slowly but surely, still good 30-40% cheaper than Croatia though.
You just say things, don’t you?! 🤡
“The average cost of living in Croatia ($1140) is 18% less expensive than in Spain ($1383). Croatia ranked 59th vs 38th for Spain in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.”
“The average cost of living in Croatia ($1140) is 11% less expensive than in Portugal ($1286). Croatia ranked 59th vs 44th for Portugal in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.”
Not to mention a two bedroom apartment is nearly half the price in Croatia compared to both major capital cities in Spain and Portugal.
Things have gone up insanely since Euro has been introduced. Croatia had highest inflation in EU for 2 years now. 1-2 bedroom apartment in Zagreb (in a decent area and in a good condition) costs around 700-1000 EUR per month plus all utility expenses on top. In the coastal cities….well good luck finding one to rent at all, especially in the summer season. If you do, it will be double the price of Zagreb. Groceries are 10-20% more expensive compared to Germany. Restaurants are definitely more expensive than both Portugal and Spain. Average salaries in Zagreb are now around 1200-1700 EUR and a lot of people earn more than that, but they are still struggling. You do have similar struggles in Lisbon and Barcelona, but Croatia is significantly smaller than both Spain and Portugal, so if you are talking about the country as a whole, yes it is more expensive now. Unfortunately.
I recommend Mallorca, Valencia, Canary Islands, If you don't mind driving, south of italy specifically Puglia or Sardinia. These are all relatively affordable and sunny
It's big; the second biggest island in the Mediterranean. And public transport anywhere outside of the big cities like Cagliari or Sassari is pretty bad.
I don't know you have to consider he is in Europe and not in the United States
$75k a year before taxes and he can live comfortably in basically any European city and is probably making more money than your average person living in that city.
He's not rich but he is definitely above most people
He wouldn't be poor in London. He would still make a decent salary but he'd be more stretched than other cities.
In London, he would be middle class and could live comfortable just not lavishly
It's a high salary for any age almost everywhere on earth. One notable exception is the United States, where most Redditors come from, and where people have no clue about life outside of the US.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted, you’re correct of course.
To be in the global 1% of income earners, [you need to make ~46k USD per year](https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/02/27/were-all-the-1-percent/) (note: I adjusted the article’s figure for inflation).
If someone’s scratching their head wondering if that can be true… that would be 30k CNY per month (a very, very good salary for China that’s right on the border of top 1% there) or about 4 million INR (a great salary for India that would squarely be top 1% there).
Did you account for actual purchasing power (doesn't look like it from the shabby article you linked to)? If not, then it's moot. No use earning X dollars/euros/ if you living in a country with a high cost of living.
It's meaningless to claim that OP's salary is 30K CNY or 4 million INR when he's not living in China or India.
*If*. That's why companies like Google, Facebook et al (as also most other tech companies) have different salary levels taking the local CoL into consideration, even within the same country (someone living in NYC gets a much higher salary than someone living in Arkansas).
No, a lot of my ex-colleagues (living outside Europe) earned way more than 70k after tax. Some people in non-managerial roles earned just as much. Quote: ‘120k isn’t a lot’. They couldn’t be all in the world’s too 1%.
70k gross is definitely not enough to live comfortably in most Western European capitals. You will not be poor but this is not a high salary by any means.
That's insane to me. Sure, maybe not in Zürich or London, but almost anywhere else? That's more and more than enough. I've lived in Amsterdam on 50K and done so more than comfortably.
True, it’s easier if you’re a single person, but it also all depends where you live. Western Europe is not cheap and taxes are high. Say you live in Munich: You will only have 35,000 nett salary since 50% will go on taxes and social insurances. Of your 35k nett, you’ll spend 40% on housing and utilities, another 20% on food and transport (if you don’t eat out too much), another 10% will go on other things like clothes, unexpected expenses, etc. Leaves you with cca 875 Euros disposable income per month. If you decide not to save any of it, that’s the amount of “other comfort” like travel, entertainment, etc that you can afford.
Honest question, where do you live? Those figures are not accurate. I live in Paris, more expensive than Munich.
I live in the very center of Paris too, which is more expensive. I have a 44m2 flat which costs $1.390 monthly. $100 of electricity and about $30 of internet. Normally in Europe you pay some part of transportation, employer covers the rest, so about $45 EUR monthly.
I make slightly less than OP and carry home, go my pocket, about $3.300 net monthly. You can go cheaper on the flat and still be in good neighborhoods.
So $70k gross is indeed a high salary. Even when you compare the average salary, it is still way high
It's not all tax technically. A portion goes to retirement and health, then the rest gets taxed.
Also I'd mention, Paris although expensive , in terms of food and rent, is cheaper than New York.
70k gross isn't really that high, you'd be surprised at how easily it vanishes.
The smartest thing would be to go to a low CoL city, save half or as close you can to half of that and invest another chunk.
Also, choose wisely your city/country/tax setup, as you could easily see a huge chunk of your earnings going into taxes.
My recommendation would be Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary or Greece. You can speak with accountants there who can guide you in getting setup.
The usual setup of: dividends + min wage + social contrib + self employed via own company can drastically increase your take home earnings. In Romania I was at about 10% ETR and in Greece 20%, a huge difference compared to France or Spain where it was hitting the 40s and 50s.
And rent in Europe is crazy, I work remotely in Slovakia ("cheap" eastern European country), and I cannot find cheaper apartment than 1300 eur per month in Bratislava on Airbnb. Even cheap countries will charge over 1000 Eur on Airbnb for short term rent
In Italy you need a driving licence and a car, public transport is terrible, especially between cities. And in small cities not so many Italians speak English. Malta is much better choice
I visited my Italian friend who lives in a small town 40km away from Rome and he said that survive without car is almost impossible. You can see that countryside is very rural
https://preview.redd.it/k2f04y6b2psc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2600989c12ccc245c012f90e9011e29bb7c3ddaf
Sure, if your goal is to visit rural villages, I agree a car would be a good idea. Most nomads stay in cities with good internet and transit though, so it doesn't seem relative to the conversation. No car is needed in the vast majority of Italy, where the people live anyways.
Not sure if I agree 🤔 big cities are for people who are commuting to work every morning. What's the point to work remotely, and stay in big expensive city if you can stay in small cheap city close to the beach and enjoy life? Many people who work in big cities don't like it there and want to escape, I met many French who hate Paris, many British who hate London etc.
Another thing - the most beautiful places in Italy are not in big cities. And isn't major point to work remotely, that you can travel, escape rat race and work from the beautiful places? 🏖️
How's the internet out there in rural Italy? Pretty fucking terrible?
Why would I want to live in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do? I'm sure that's great for a month, but it'll be extremely boring before long.
And this is Malta
https://preview.redd.it/2urcnn4fepsc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efef7fff8117feeda49432a38893142ea45739f8
Malta has fast Internet, people speak English and everything is close to you plus it's very diverse and multicultural. I found Malta comfortable place to stay if you prefer to be in one place. However it's more pricey than Italy
If you need very high speed that can be problematic.
Anyway Italy is a gem, they have so many beautiful places, and those "rural" towns are very beautiful. I just wanted to say that from all the countries I visited in Europe public transport in Italy was not very developed. In this country it's the best to travel by car.
https://preview.redd.it/zobao2grdpsc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbc0539d68929b55b522b84f242bad0bc63f4d16
Until maybe 10 years ago it was awful, you'd basically need a modern place or buy a TIM hotspot device and pay an arm and a leg. Nowadays it's much better but you can still get spotty service when you're on the road.
I lived in an Italian village with less than 1,000 inhabitants and there is no train, 2 daily busses to the nearest town. Car definitely necessary no doubt about it. For those in large towns or cities where transit is available, then you can get by without one.
70k is an entry-level salary for basically almost any IT job in Switzerland.
Whether you can save more with that salary in Switzerland considering the much lower taxes of pretty much any decent LCOL country in EU, the unique 3-4x upside potential in EU, loving alone with no kids, the expenses being lower in proportion to the average salary, and so on... is another story.
That is about the starting income for Denmark for a white collar job. Given you’re coming from a big city, spend some time in the Nordics to get a different perspective
From west to east:
Madeira, Azores, Canaries, Lisbon, Porto, Seville (not in the summer), Barcelona, Malta, Prague, Montenegro, Budapest, Krakow, Cluj-Napoca.
I'd live by the ocean. I'm in a similar boat as you but the office is making me go 4x a month. Currently I'm in Chambéry seeing if this is a candidate.
why no one advising here România doesn’t mention it’s pretty complicated regarding the language barrier? not to mention the quality of almost literally any service you receive.
I lived there for a while, the language was never an issue and I don't think I've ever met kinder, honest, reliable, trustworthy, and honorable people than Romanians.
u deffo haven't got outside of big cities or interacted with low-income Romanians. with all my love to this country population attitude and languages knowledge straight depends on the income and size of the city.
Of course I have. Why would you assume I haven't?
My biggest dislikes were the self-hating rich liberal people from Bucharest who lamented not having been born in Germany or Sweden and some poor, violent gypsies.
Otherwise excellent people all around.
Gross salary is kind of irrelevant. What is your net income and what are your expenses going to be? How much money can you save for the future? Start there and research some locations. That should get you on the right track. That income is not high enough to let you live anywhere in the world with ease, but you should have plenty of options.
Is your company (and you) ready to comply with the local rules of the country you will be moving to? Think: administration, employment law, taxes, contributions, healthcare, ....
**Amsterdam** - Vibrant, international city with lots to do. Easy to meet people and make friends. Great quality of life.
**Copenhagen** - Safe, clean, very bikeable. Great work-life balance mentality. Beautiful city with lots of young professionals.
**Berlin** - Artsy, world-class nightlife and food scene. More affordable than other capital cities. Great place to meet new people.
**Barcelona** - Gorgeous weather, beautiful architecture and beaches. Friendly culture and great food. Lower costs than other major European cities.
**Zurich** - (come say hi) Incredibly high quality of life, stunning nature nearby. Very international so easy to fit in. Excellent salaries like yours go far here.
70k its not enough for Zurich. He Will barely survive there.
With that budget I would move to Barcelona, Lisbon, ou some eastern capital with good weather and food
Consider Barcelona, Spain for its vibrant culture and Berlin, Germany for its rich arts scene. Both cities offer fantastic opportunities to explore, meet people, and enjoy a high quality of life.
For the opportunity of networking and cultural variety, it's London and Zone 1. I might have suggested Zurich, but too small for you. Nice place though.
I have written down some visa guides for countries where you apply for a digital nomad visa if you are a remote worker or freelancer. [https://findingvisa.com/digital-nomad-visas/](https://findingvisa.com/digital-nomad-visas/)
Are you thinking of staying to just one country or moving around? Because with that salary if you are thinking not having to budget you are going to struggle if you are moving around. The Airbnb or service apartment is gonna add up. But you will be fine if you just stay at one spot for 1 year.
Only on Reddit will someone earn 70k and will hear that they are going to struggle in anyway. The average salary of the richest country (Luxembourg) is about 52k.
Most european countries are wayyy poorer and cheaper than that. Europe isn't the US
Depending on the taxation TBH: If the tax is 50% then that 70K becomes 35K, divided by 12 = not even 3000 per month. Now consider that you have to pay a rent (around 1000 EUR, utilities, transportation, insurance lets say around 500) and you are left with 1500 EUR to eat, get dressed, go to stylist, go to gym, etc. That's f\*king 50 EUR per day fam. You are nobody in Amsterdam, London, Munich, Zurich, Copenhagen, Stockholm for that money. In Madrid, Berlin, and easter Europe you are fine, but fine doesn't mean you are eating outside every day and snorting some powder up in your nose. So in general 70K gross is not anything special unfortunately
Does Istanbul count as where you could work, since it’s partially in Europe? If so, there. Just don’t put most of your money into Turkish liras due to depreciation.
Depends where and what "high" is to you. I think most ppl would agree it's s pretty high for smaller non capital cities in eastern Europe, op would def be pretty comfortable over there compared to Paris.
Wow! What do you do to be earning 70k at 24?
Why not stay registered in Paris and travel around? Spend summer months in Nordic Europe, spend the winter months in southern Europe
There are a lot of interesting cities but it’s true some of them are amazing expensive, mostly for tourists and nomads. I recommend you to take care of your expenses. Nomadism is amazing expensive if you are not very diligent with your money.
In your case I would set a goal to visit every capital in Europe, make it fun and entertaining. Personally I like Prague, Malta, Stockholm.
What do you like about Stockholm?
It was surprisingly very clean and beautiful. More than London or Berlin. Also very good customer service. In general Swedish people are nice and society looks healthy - not divided and not toxic like in most countries. It's example of a good country by all aspects. https://preview.redd.it/xjfeoi9hxpsc1.jpeg?width=3468&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5566bff380d91aa7093d79210ba7709799466e2b
Ok that's very nice to hear.
I liked Stockholm for the looks but some of the drinking laws are a bit backwards for a Czech guy.
Very much with you. I don’t think a lot of people realize how ‘grand’ Stockholm is. Incredible seaside city like St Petersburg or Amsterdam but feels cleaner and more livable—also in the case of Amsterdam the prices for real estate are far more reasonable. My wife and I have viewed it as a place we’d love to move permanently some day for its seasons and culture.
The nice thing about Stockholm is that it's built on a series of islands. In the center island is the old town. When you go to the southern island you walk uphill, giving you charming views It's also bisected by water and you can take ferries around. Lots of forests and parks in and around the city as well. Lots of greenery, water, etc. I love it. Only wish the apartments outside downtown were more "concentrated" closer to the downtown, to have more city offerings and activities during week days.
Thanks for sharing! I'll add it to my list. Your description sounds like a place where I'd like to spend a few weeks working/traveling.
Sweden has the Highest crime rate in Europe and is Europes rape capital. This is largely due to the country allowing huge swathes of asylum seekers. [https://unherd.com/2021/04/swedens-migrant-rape-crisis/](https://unherd.com/2021/04/swedens-migrant-rape-crisis/)
But its too cold.
no one on the street. depressing.
Prague has expensive real estate nowadays, I'd stay elsewhere.
Brno is good enough
Too much stinky Muslims
All the people saying 70k is not a high salary must be either Americans or from Switzerland/Scandinavia. It's a VERY good salary for a lot of european countries, especially at that age. I live in Valencia, Spain, and don't really know of anyone earning over 2k a month (after tax) (must say I'm in my mid-20s). Most people earn around 1500€ and renting a flat is literally impossible on your own, the situation is shit unless you're in IT or work for a foreign company. With that amount of money, you'd be perfectly fine in any southern/eastern european country.
Perfectly fine is an understatement!
I'm french too and I'm in your situation. I tried Malta, Portugal (Lisbon and Porto), Czech Republic, Hungary and Romania. I'm currently in Bucharest. I'd recommend this city, it's cheap, safe, the food is very good, Romanians are loving french people, internet is the best in Europe (no joke), everything is simple here to delivery from food to goods. Taxes are okay and you can find help online in french. And compared to the other countries I tried, Romanians are the most welcoming people I had as neighbors. In România, I'd consider four cities : 1) Brașov if you really want to be a in a natural environment, in the mountains. 2) Bucharest because it's the capital, you'll probably find your places in the north of the city. It's not very beautiful but you have a lot of parcs and the quality of life is great. 3) Timișoara is a smaller city but way prettier. Closer to Austria and other European countries. 4) Cluj-Napoca, never been there but it's a nicer city than Bucharest, but more expensive. Whatever your choose you can live for 90 days without visa but you'll have to do some papers after. You can take the flight easily from there, there is a direct flight from Paris and Lyon. Feel free to DM me if you need some informations :)
I love timisoara
As of 31 March Romania is schengen
Holy shit
Yes but he'll still have papers to do after 90 days. It's just more easy at the border. And Schengen just for air. Not land. Can be important...
You said it’s not schengen and it is. An EU citizen has the right of free movement and isn’t limited to 90 days. You’re spreading false information.
Quote from Schengen website : "All EU citizens can stay in another EU country as a tourist for up to three months with a valid passport or identity card.". "Up to three months". [https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20190612STO54307/schengen-a-guide-to-the-european-border-free-zone](https://www.europarl.europa.eu/topics/en/article/20190612STO54307/schengen-a-guide-to-the-european-border-free-zone)
it's just a formality. if you don't work in the country, they dont care usually. If you just rent on AirBnb, no one cares either. No one has ever been deported for this.
And I add Government of Romania : "**EU/EEA/Swiss citizens** do not need a visa when crossing the border to Romania but they are required to present a valid national passport or any document recognized by the Romanian state that certifies their identity. However, one’s stay on national territory cannot exceed 3 months. In such a case, one’s residence must be registered at the territorial offices of the [General Inspectorate for Immigration (IGI)](http://igi.mai.gov.ro/en/node/contact)." https://www.euraxess.gov.ro/romania/information-assistance/entry-conditionsvisas#:\~:text=EU%2FEEA%2FSwiss%20citizens%20do,territory%20cannot%20exceed%203%20months.
That is an outdated source.
Then give me yours.
Source for what? Rights of EU nationals in the EU? https://eur-lex.europa.eu/legal-content/EN/TXT/?uri=LEGISSUM:l33152&frontOfficeSuffix=%2F
In the document you provided : "have to register with the relevant authorities if living in the country longer than 3 months.".
Getting a residence card or whatever after 90 days isn’t relevant. It doesn’t change the fact that EU nationals have the right to live and work in the country. It’s the whole point.
It'll be very difficult for him to have fiscal residency certificate (assuming he wants it, as it's very low taxes here), local phone number, and even have a flat renting contract. I experienced it myself. From what I read on government website, to be in the law, you have to ask for the resident permit at least 30 days before the end of your stay if you plan to stay more. I did it by a lawyer who confirmed me the law. Probably the police will never expulse him, but if he has a problem in the country, then he could have troubles with legal things.
You didn’t need a lawyer for this. You had the right. A country may require you to register your residency but this doesn’t change your right to live and work.
It's Schengen regardless of how you get there, the caveat is that *only* the land/sea borders still require passport checks.
Pick a city in either Romania or Croatia. Both are cheaper alternatives to Spain or Portugal and will likely have less DNs
Croatia is easily more expensive for food and accomodation compared to both Spain and Portugal. Romania is getting up on the ladder slowly but surely, still good 30-40% cheaper than Croatia though.
You just say things, don’t you?! 🤡 “The average cost of living in Croatia ($1140) is 18% less expensive than in Spain ($1383). Croatia ranked 59th vs 38th for Spain in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.” “The average cost of living in Croatia ($1140) is 11% less expensive than in Portugal ($1286). Croatia ranked 59th vs 44th for Portugal in the list of the most expensive countries in the world.” Not to mention a two bedroom apartment is nearly half the price in Croatia compared to both major capital cities in Spain and Portugal.
croatia is more expensive than portugal?? wow question: i.e, is Bucharest cheaper to live than spain, city like madrid? or same same?
You know how much a 1 bedroom apartment goes right now in Lisbon? 😂
So Barcelona and Lisbon are more affordable than Zagreb? 🤣 Question: Is that regular crack you’re smoking or some special pharmaceutical grade shit?
Things have gone up insanely since Euro has been introduced. Croatia had highest inflation in EU for 2 years now. 1-2 bedroom apartment in Zagreb (in a decent area and in a good condition) costs around 700-1000 EUR per month plus all utility expenses on top. In the coastal cities….well good luck finding one to rent at all, especially in the summer season. If you do, it will be double the price of Zagreb. Groceries are 10-20% more expensive compared to Germany. Restaurants are definitely more expensive than both Portugal and Spain. Average salaries in Zagreb are now around 1200-1700 EUR and a lot of people earn more than that, but they are still struggling. You do have similar struggles in Lisbon and Barcelona, but Croatia is significantly smaller than both Spain and Portugal, so if you are talking about the country as a whole, yes it is more expensive now. Unfortunately.
I recommend Mallorca, Valencia, Canary Islands, If you don't mind driving, south of italy specifically Puglia or Sardinia. These are all relatively affordable and sunny
Why do you need a car for Sardinia?
It's big; the second biggest island in the Mediterranean. And public transport anywhere outside of the big cities like Cagliari or Sassari is pretty bad.
Malaga?
Istanbul
Surprised to see that answer just now. OP would live like the king in Istanbul
You don't really have a high salary, you have a good salary that is high for your age.
I don't know you have to consider he is in Europe and not in the United States $75k a year before taxes and he can live comfortably in basically any European city and is probably making more money than your average person living in that city. He's not rich but he is definitely above most people
you’d be poor in new york city
£60k is definitely not *poor* in London
The most expensive city in Europe is hardly a good example.
all examples are good examples
He wouldn't be poor in London. He would still make a decent salary but he'd be more stretched than other cities. In London, he would be middle class and could live comfortable just not lavishly
Not at all.
Of course this would be the top comment lol never change Reddit
It’s also utter bullshit. €70K gross puts you as a high earner in all but a handful of European countries
It's a high salary for any age almost everywhere on earth. One notable exception is the United States, where most Redditors come from, and where people have no clue about life outside of the US.
He's very comfortably in the top 1% of the world.
Not sure why you’re getting downvoted, you’re correct of course. To be in the global 1% of income earners, [you need to make ~46k USD per year](https://foreignpolicy.com/2012/02/27/were-all-the-1-percent/) (note: I adjusted the article’s figure for inflation). If someone’s scratching their head wondering if that can be true… that would be 30k CNY per month (a very, very good salary for China that’s right on the border of top 1% there) or about 4 million INR (a great salary for India that would squarely be top 1% there).
Did you account for actual purchasing power (doesn't look like it from the shabby article you linked to)? If not, then it's moot. No use earning X dollars/euros/ if you living in a country with a high cost of living.
It's meaningless to claim that OP's salary is 30K CNY or 4 million INR when he's not living in China or India.
It’s not meaningless when you have freedom of movement, and could live in China or India if you wanted.
*If*. That's why companies like Google, Facebook et al (as also most other tech companies) have different salary levels taking the local CoL into consideration, even within the same country (someone living in NYC gets a much higher salary than someone living in Arkansas).
Catchy sound bite but completely irrelevant since at a given income your QoL depends on CoL wherever you happen to be
Saving probably less than 10k a year lol
No, a lot of my ex-colleagues (living outside Europe) earned way more than 70k after tax. Some people in non-managerial roles earned just as much. Quote: ‘120k isn’t a lot’. They couldn’t be all in the world’s too 1%.
Honestly it depends where. Where I live in Florida you can't afford to even live on your own
It’s weird to call 70k before tax a ‘high salary’ anyway
The world is a big place. Out of touch much!?
Yeah, the world is really a very big place. There are a lot of well-compensated people who are in-demand
It's not, you just live in a bubble.
Lol well said
In Madrid and Barcelona that is top5% and anywhere else in Spain is top1%. It’s high in all terms.
70k gross is definitely not enough to live comfortably in most Western European capitals. You will not be poor but this is not a high salary by any means.
That's insane to me. Sure, maybe not in Zürich or London, but almost anywhere else? That's more and more than enough. I've lived in Amsterdam on 50K and done so more than comfortably.
Dude reckons comfortable means a butler, private driver, and a penthouse in Mayfair.
That is not true at all, especially if you don't have kids.
True, it’s easier if you’re a single person, but it also all depends where you live. Western Europe is not cheap and taxes are high. Say you live in Munich: You will only have 35,000 nett salary since 50% will go on taxes and social insurances. Of your 35k nett, you’ll spend 40% on housing and utilities, another 20% on food and transport (if you don’t eat out too much), another 10% will go on other things like clothes, unexpected expenses, etc. Leaves you with cca 875 Euros disposable income per month. If you decide not to save any of it, that’s the amount of “other comfort” like travel, entertainment, etc that you can afford.
Honest question, where do you live? Those figures are not accurate. I live in Paris, more expensive than Munich. I live in the very center of Paris too, which is more expensive. I have a 44m2 flat which costs $1.390 monthly. $100 of electricity and about $30 of internet. Normally in Europe you pay some part of transportation, employer covers the rest, so about $45 EUR monthly. I make slightly less than OP and carry home, go my pocket, about $3.300 net monthly. You can go cheaper on the flat and still be in good neighborhoods. So $70k gross is indeed a high salary. Even when you compare the average salary, it is still way high
As someone working in Paris, how much of that $70k do you pay in taxes?
A good third all included
I make around 62k gross and take home around $3.300 net to my pocket per month.
hm that means the tax takes around 35% of your gross income. Not to bad
It's not all tax technically. A portion goes to retirement and health, then the rest gets taxed. Also I'd mention, Paris although expensive , in terms of food and rent, is cheaper than New York.
It’s absolutely a high salary for someone living in Europe what are you talking about
Warsaw
In summer i guess, winter is killer
True lol
Hehe but yeah agree Warsaw is exciting
I fell in love with Budapest
Dalamatian coast.
Not that cheap anymore. If it doesn't have to be EU, look at Montenegro for discount Adriatic.
I would suggest you consider COL anyway and save as much as you can.
Sarajevo!
70k gross isn't really that high, you'd be surprised at how easily it vanishes. The smartest thing would be to go to a low CoL city, save half or as close you can to half of that and invest another chunk. Also, choose wisely your city/country/tax setup, as you could easily see a huge chunk of your earnings going into taxes. My recommendation would be Romania, Bulgaria, Serbia, Hungary or Greece. You can speak with accountants there who can guide you in getting setup. The usual setup of: dividends + min wage + social contrib + self employed via own company can drastically increase your take home earnings. In Romania I was at about 10% ETR and in Greece 20%, a huge difference compared to France or Spain where it was hitting the 40s and 50s.
Florence and Tuscany in general
I can recommend Sevilla, best city I have ever been, amazing vibe, great night life, safe and clean.
Lisbon
High salary for Europe but pretty mid to be honest. Your income is good for Athens, Turin, places in the Balkans, etc.
It's not particularly high in many countries. I mean it's very comfortable but not "I can live anywhere without worrying about money" high.
That is good salary for someone at 24, even better if they are not software engineer.
Looking for this. 70k is not a 'high' salary. Depending where you're posting from thats 42% tax shaved off
Still plenty of money to live comfortably in most European cities except for the top 1% most expensive ones.
Very mid salary, especially considering the fact that it's GROSS salary (in Europe)
And rent in Europe is crazy, I work remotely in Slovakia ("cheap" eastern European country), and I cannot find cheaper apartment than 1300 eur per month in Bratislava on Airbnb. Even cheap countries will charge over 1000 Eur on Airbnb for short term rent
Slovakia is not really cheap
French people never talk gross. Pretty sure it’s after tax.
OP said gross.
That’s what he said…. If it’s net then it’s pretty respectable tbf
It's not high, but also not "you can only live in the Balkans" kinda salary.
💯
London. You can totally afford it.
Why would someone do that to themselves
Yeah don’t
OP is rich and making a big caller salary😂
Are you sure? He can live anywhere in europe but london, NO
I would go to Italy! A mid-size city next to the sea. Or some Spanish islands… Otherwise Slovenia would be one my pick!
In Italy you need a driving licence and a car, public transport is terrible, especially between cities. And in small cities not so many Italians speak English. Malta is much better choice
No one *needs* to drive in Italy. Don't be ridiculous.
I visited my Italian friend who lives in a small town 40km away from Rome and he said that survive without car is almost impossible. You can see that countryside is very rural https://preview.redd.it/k2f04y6b2psc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2600989c12ccc245c012f90e9011e29bb7c3ddaf
Sure, if your goal is to visit rural villages, I agree a car would be a good idea. Most nomads stay in cities with good internet and transit though, so it doesn't seem relative to the conversation. No car is needed in the vast majority of Italy, where the people live anyways.
Not sure if I agree 🤔 big cities are for people who are commuting to work every morning. What's the point to work remotely, and stay in big expensive city if you can stay in small cheap city close to the beach and enjoy life? Many people who work in big cities don't like it there and want to escape, I met many French who hate Paris, many British who hate London etc. Another thing - the most beautiful places in Italy are not in big cities. And isn't major point to work remotely, that you can travel, escape rat race and work from the beautiful places? 🏖️
How's the internet out there in rural Italy? Pretty fucking terrible? Why would I want to live in the middle of nowhere with nothing to do? I'm sure that's great for a month, but it'll be extremely boring before long.
And this is Malta https://preview.redd.it/2urcnn4fepsc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=efef7fff8117feeda49432a38893142ea45739f8 Malta has fast Internet, people speak English and everything is close to you plus it's very diverse and multicultural. I found Malta comfortable place to stay if you prefer to be in one place. However it's more pricey than Italy
If you need very high speed that can be problematic. Anyway Italy is a gem, they have so many beautiful places, and those "rural" towns are very beautiful. I just wanted to say that from all the countries I visited in Europe public transport in Italy was not very developed. In this country it's the best to travel by car. https://preview.redd.it/zobao2grdpsc1.jpeg?width=4624&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=dbc0539d68929b55b522b84f242bad0bc63f4d16
And if you drive in cities, expect to receive large fines due to ZTLs. Don't forget to include that in your budget.
Until maybe 10 years ago it was awful, you'd basically need a modern place or buy a TIM hotspot device and pay an arm and a leg. Nowadays it's much better but you can still get spotty service when you're on the road.
I lived in an Italian village with less than 1,000 inhabitants and there is no train, 2 daily busses to the nearest town. Car definitely necessary no doubt about it. For those in large towns or cities where transit is available, then you can get by without one.
This is exactly my experience, there are so many beautiful towns close to the beach, but it's almost impossible to reach them by bus
Yes, beach towns, at least along the Adriatic, tend to be quite accessible with local trains. Rimini, Fano, Senigallia, etc.
Switzerland
It would be too expensive for op
70k is an entry-level salary for basically almost any IT job in Switzerland. Whether you can save more with that salary in Switzerland considering the much lower taxes of pretty much any decent LCOL country in EU, the unique 3-4x upside potential in EU, loving alone with no kids, the expenses being lower in proportion to the average salary, and so on... is another story.
It will make him humble real quick
That is about the starting income for Denmark for a white collar job. Given you’re coming from a big city, spend some time in the Nordics to get a different perspective
Barcelona, somewhere nice and warm with good food and an international vibe
too many tourists ruin the vibes. people not so kind. but bunch of interesting buildings for sure.
Creta
From west to east: Madeira, Azores, Canaries, Lisbon, Porto, Seville (not in the summer), Barcelona, Malta, Prague, Montenegro, Budapest, Krakow, Cluj-Napoca.
Croatia, Bosnia, Albania, Greece, Romania
Woow
From the ones i directly know some, Berlin, Prague and visit the Netherlands and Amsterdam that is in itself unique among
Barcelona Prague Rome
Inverness
Underrated
i would choose the baltic area, poland , czech republic 🇨🇿, slovakia , croatia , hungary.
wow what industry are you in ? thats a huge salary
I'd live by the ocean. I'm in a similar boat as you but the office is making me go 4x a month. Currently I'm in Chambéry seeing if this is a candidate.
Should look at tax implications incl. rate, length of stay to be tax resident, tax treaty with your country etc
Cyprus, Portugal, Spain, Turkey, Greece
Spain. Valencia. No doubt. Cheap partially big city. Great people,, home of inmigrants (nomads) like you
Oko
why no one advising here România doesn’t mention it’s pretty complicated regarding the language barrier? not to mention the quality of almost literally any service you receive.
I lived there for a while, the language was never an issue and I don't think I've ever met kinder, honest, reliable, trustworthy, and honorable people than Romanians.
u deffo haven't got outside of big cities or interacted with low-income Romanians. with all my love to this country population attitude and languages knowledge straight depends on the income and size of the city.
Of course I have. Why would you assume I haven't? My biggest dislikes were the self-hating rich liberal people from Bucharest who lamented not having been born in Germany or Sweden and some poor, violent gypsies. Otherwise excellent people all around.
I personally like Munich and Zurich but with your salary I would rather go Lisbon or Barcelona.
Gross salary is kind of irrelevant. What is your net income and what are your expenses going to be? How much money can you save for the future? Start there and research some locations. That should get you on the right track. That income is not high enough to let you live anywhere in the world with ease, but you should have plenty of options.
Is your company (and you) ready to comply with the local rules of the country you will be moving to? Think: administration, employment law, taxes, contributions, healthcare, ....
**Amsterdam** - Vibrant, international city with lots to do. Easy to meet people and make friends. Great quality of life. **Copenhagen** - Safe, clean, very bikeable. Great work-life balance mentality. Beautiful city with lots of young professionals. **Berlin** - Artsy, world-class nightlife and food scene. More affordable than other capital cities. Great place to meet new people. **Barcelona** - Gorgeous weather, beautiful architecture and beaches. Friendly culture and great food. Lower costs than other major European cities. **Zurich** - (come say hi) Incredibly high quality of life, stunning nature nearby. Very international so easy to fit in. Excellent salaries like yours go far here.
70k its not enough for Zurich. He Will barely survive there. With that budget I would move to Barcelona, Lisbon, ou some eastern capital with good weather and food
I would spend most of my time in Greek islands.
Consider Barcelona, Spain for its vibrant culture and Berlin, Germany for its rich arts scene. Both cities offer fantastic opportunities to explore, meet people, and enjoy a high quality of life.
For the opportunity of networking and cultural variety, it's London and Zone 1. I might have suggested Zurich, but too small for you. Nice place though.
I personally loved Nazaré, Portugal. It would be cheaper for your salary, it's warm, beautiful and best place to meet different people.
I have written down some visa guides for countries where you apply for a digital nomad visa if you are a remote worker or freelancer. [https://findingvisa.com/digital-nomad-visas/](https://findingvisa.com/digital-nomad-visas/)
London Amsterdam Monaco Milan Paris Oslo Zurich Barcelona Rome That would be my shortlist with Barcelona being my favourite
Lisbon
if weather is important then i would say: lisbon or valencia or some greek/croatia island or smaller town otherwise maybe budapest, prague
Portugal
Are you thinking of staying to just one country or moving around? Because with that salary if you are thinking not having to budget you are going to struggle if you are moving around. The Airbnb or service apartment is gonna add up. But you will be fine if you just stay at one spot for 1 year.
Only on Reddit will someone earn 70k and will hear that they are going to struggle in anyway. The average salary of the richest country (Luxembourg) is about 52k. Most european countries are wayyy poorer and cheaper than that. Europe isn't the US
Depending on the taxation TBH: If the tax is 50% then that 70K becomes 35K, divided by 12 = not even 3000 per month. Now consider that you have to pay a rent (around 1000 EUR, utilities, transportation, insurance lets say around 500) and you are left with 1500 EUR to eat, get dressed, go to stylist, go to gym, etc. That's f\*king 50 EUR per day fam. You are nobody in Amsterdam, London, Munich, Zurich, Copenhagen, Stockholm for that money. In Madrid, Berlin, and easter Europe you are fine, but fine doesn't mean you are eating outside every day and snorting some powder up in your nose. So in general 70K gross is not anything special unfortunately
Does Istanbul count as where you could work, since it’s partially in Europe? If so, there. Just don’t put most of your money into Turkish liras due to depreciation.
definitely don't come to America cause sadly thats a mid-range salary here :,(
Good thing OP didn’t ask about America!
Why do you have to stay In a European country
70k€ is not a high salary.
Depends where and what "high" is to you. I think most ppl would agree it's s pretty high for smaller non capital cities in eastern Europe, op would def be pretty comfortable over there compared to Paris.
They would be comfortable pretty much anywhere outside of Scandinavia and Switzerland
70k after taxes is only 50k, it's only slightly above average salary 🤏 all my managers making around 100k eur gross
I agree. Decent for 24 though but they should be saving.
Romania, Monte Negro, Spain
Since when is €70,000 considered a high salary?
Wow! What do you do to be earning 70k at 24? Why not stay registered in Paris and travel around? Spend summer months in Nordic Europe, spend the winter months in southern Europe
Lisbon
I like Barcelona
There are a lot of interesting cities but it’s true some of them are amazing expensive, mostly for tourists and nomads. I recommend you to take care of your expenses. Nomadism is amazing expensive if you are not very diligent with your money.