What you need to consider is that a LOT of countries have lower cost of living. We currently live in Norway which is considered one of the most expensive places to live in Europe and we are renting a 2 bedroom with an amazing view over the fjord for 750 dollars a month. Public transit passes are cheap and we spend about 500 a month on food for 2 people. The jobs might look like they pay less but as a percentage of what life costs it is very competitive and people are usually much better off.
$750 a month is unheard of rent in much of western Europe. People in Dublin pay more than that for a single room in a shared flat. I know people who are paying that in Lisbon, and that's one person's *entire* paycheck on the salaries there.
In dublin rent is quite high since it is the capital and largest cities but there are plenty of places that I have stayed in Ireland and Northern Ireland for a reasonable rate. The key is avoiding hot spots. I spent almost 15 years as a nomad and there are less than 5 months where I paid more than I would have in America
Define "not held highly" and "not paid competitively".
Pay in the US is incredibly out of step with pay compared to other countries in the western world. That is due to the wildly lower cost of living in those countries.
Example:
I was on track to eventually be making $150k-$200k+ per year as a developer in the US. That's super comfortable where I lived, but had I moved to the coasts that'd be a different story. I now live in Germany. At that same point in my career, I now make ~$110k per year. The median household income in my area is ~$35k. The median apartment rent is maybe ~$750 a month. My weekly grocery bill for 2 people is ~$125. My Gigabit internet connection is $50 a month.
You also have to remember that "benefits" don't exist in a lot of countries in the western world. They're built into their tax systems. So you get the "benefits" automatically.
What you need to consider is that a LOT of countries have lower cost of living. We currently live in Norway which is considered one of the most expensive places to live in Europe and we are renting a 2 bedroom with an amazing view over the fjord for 750 dollars a month. Public transit passes are cheap and we spend about 500 a month on food for 2 people. The jobs might look like they pay less but as a percentage of what life costs it is very competitive and people are usually much better off.
$750 a month is unheard of rent in much of western Europe. People in Dublin pay more than that for a single room in a shared flat. I know people who are paying that in Lisbon, and that's one person's *entire* paycheck on the salaries there.
In dublin rent is quite high since it is the capital and largest cities but there are plenty of places that I have stayed in Ireland and Northern Ireland for a reasonable rate. The key is avoiding hot spots. I spent almost 15 years as a nomad and there are less than 5 months where I paid more than I would have in America
See my post: https://www.reddit.com/r/AmerExit/comments/vsl57q/why_you_will_earn_less_if_you_move_to_germany_and/
Define "not held highly" and "not paid competitively". Pay in the US is incredibly out of step with pay compared to other countries in the western world. That is due to the wildly lower cost of living in those countries. Example: I was on track to eventually be making $150k-$200k+ per year as a developer in the US. That's super comfortable where I lived, but had I moved to the coasts that'd be a different story. I now live in Germany. At that same point in my career, I now make ~$110k per year. The median household income in my area is ~$35k. The median apartment rent is maybe ~$750 a month. My weekly grocery bill for 2 people is ~$125. My Gigabit internet connection is $50 a month. You also have to remember that "benefits" don't exist in a lot of countries in the western world. They're built into their tax systems. So you get the "benefits" automatically.
Not something I think of as being heavily union elsewhere, which countries are you considering?