Best Countries to base yourself as a Tech Worker in 2024

Global outlook, specifically targeted to Europeans

By "tech worker", I mean anyone working in software or online. Some examples:

• Software engineers working full-time for a company

• Software freelancers

• Online business owners

• Digital nomads

Some of the things I've evaluated for this research are:

• Living standards

• Taxation

• Access to high-income or wealth generating opportunities

• Lifestyle preferences

• Safety and country stability

• Fun factor

• Family factor (is it a good place to raise a family?)

• Location and ease of travel

Let’s start

UAE 🇦🇪

• Low taxes

• Good income and wealth generating opportunities

• Bad on social rights and democracy

• Good weather part of the year, terrible weather in summer

• Lifestyle and fun opportunities seem a bit tasteless from a Euro perspective

• Great airport and connections

Vote: 7/10

Germany and most other Western EU countries 🇩🇪 🇪🇺

• Mid pay

• Bad taxes

• Mid safety

• Decent lifestyle

• Decent weather

• Good social rights and welfare

• Bad economic trajectory

Vote: 6.5/10

UK 🇬🇧

• Like the above but a bit worse

Vote: 5.5/10

Southern Europe 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 🇬🇷 🇵🇹

• Great weather and lifestyle

• Decent safety

• Mid taxes and public services

• Bad to make money

• Good cost of living if working remotely

Vote: 7.5/10

France 🇫🇷

• Similar to the above but a bit worse on safety and politics and a bit better on salaries

Vote: 7+/10

Cyprus 🇨🇾

• Similar to Southern Europe but

• Better taxes

• More safety

• Smaller cities and generally less connected

• Smaller economy

Vote: 8.5/10

Poland 🇵🇱

• Growing economy

• Great financial upside for people in tech

• Good taxes

• Good lifestyle

• Proximity to Russia and associated geopolitical risks (minimal but not zero)

• Complex relationship with EU (benefits and downsides of being in the EU)

• Good cost of living (although rising)

• Good connections and airport

• In some aspects, still catching up to more developed countries and economies

Vote: 9/10

Central Europe 🇨🇿 🇷🇴 🇷🇸 🇭🇺 etc

• Similar to Poland but overall a bit worse

Vote: 8-/10

Smaller countries in Central Europe 🇲🇪 🇦🇱 🇭🇷 🇸🇰 🇸🇮

• They have a place but I haven't explored them much

• Particularly good for remote workers as local employment market is limited

Vote (from what I've seen): 8/10

Switzerland 🇨🇭

• Very high cost of living

• High lower bound on income potential (difficult to make less than 80k/year)

• Good/great opportunities to generate income and create wealth

• Good taxes

• Very high standard of living

• Great airport and connection

• Great services

• As politically stable as it gets

• Lifestyle with pros and cons, probably more suited to families

• Nerdy and not so diverse environment (mainly banking, tech and science folks)

• Country benefits a lot from its brand and this might change

• Pressure for everything and everyone to be 10/10

Vote: 9/10

Northern Europe 🇸🇪 🇳🇴 🇪🇪 etc

• Good standard of living

• Western part has good salaries but bad taxes and OK cost of living

• Eastern part has good taxes and cost of living but smaller salaries and more geopolitical risks

• Weather not great for most people

• OK connections

• Great nature

• Family friendly

Vote: 7.5/10

Asia

• Offers a lot of options, some of them better than others

• Far from Europe (downside for me and for ~70% of my audience)

• Living standards not always 10/10

• Growing

• Affordable

Vote: 7+/10

USA 🇺🇸

• Mixed bag, won’t expand here because I talked often about it and similarly to Asia it’s far from home for a lot of my audience.

• Check these articles to learn more: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6

Vote: 7+/10

Final ranking

1. Switzerland 🇨🇭 9/10

2. Poland 🇵🇱 9/10

3. Cyprus 🇨🇾 8.5/10

4. Smaller countries in Central Europe 🇲🇪 🇭🇷 🇸🇰 🇸🇮 8/10

5. Central Europe 🇨🇿 🇷🇴 🇷🇸 🇭🇺 🇦🇱 etc 8-/10

6. Southern Europe 🇪🇸 🇮🇹 🇬🇷 🇵🇹 7.5/10

7. Northern Europe 🇸🇪 🇳🇴 🇪🇪 etc 7.5/10

8. Asia 7+/10

9. USA 🇺🇸 7+/10

10. France 🇫🇷 7+/10

11. UAE 🇦🇪 7/10

12. Germany and most other Western EU countries 🇩🇪 🇪🇺 6.5/10

13. UK 🇬🇧 5.5/10

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Whenever you're ready, here are 2 ways I can help you:

1. EuroTopTechJobs.com: My job board with 4000+ top-paying dev jobs in Europe and a growing list of high-paying fully-remote tech companies. Includes total compensation and saving rates data.

2. My Coaching Program: Hire me to help you land a well-paid tech job in Europe, move to Switzerland, get a big tech job, go remote and optimise your taxes and lifestyle, plan the next few years of your tech careers, etc.

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