Hi folks, in the last articles we have been talking about the price of houses in several countries in Europe, and I saw that you ended up liking it a lot. So, let’s suppose that after reading my last articles you asked me: ‘Gustavo, I don’t care about politics, I don’t care about bad weather or insecurity, I simply want you to give me a list of rich countries, with high salaries, where I can get a job, qualified or not, receive a high salary and be able to save money.
Okay, your wish is my command.
So today here on Travels to Europe we are going to talk about seven countries where it is easy to save money with a minimum salary, and I have already been to some of these countries, so I have a lot of facts and some thoughts to share with you, let’s go.
Switzerland
Switzerland, besides having one of the highest purchasing powers in the world also currently has the highest HDI in the world. While neighboring countries in Western Europe have seen a reduction in their quality of life and even in their freedom in recent years, Switzerland remains firm and strong. That is why many Brazilians and Portuguese are migrating there, making the Portuguese-speaking community the largest foreign community in Switzerland.
Qatar
Next on the list is an Arab country, Qatar. The country that hosted the 2022 World Cup had the fourth highest purchasing power in the world that year according to IMF, and you don’t need to speak Arabic, English is enough to live and work in the country. In terms of visas and work permits Qatar may be much easier than Switzerland but it is definitely not the place for you to work on construction sites due to poor conditions and poor wages, at least in this area.
According to this source in Doha, the country’s capital, an electrician earns the equivalent of $50,000 per year, while a dentist earns $115,000 for the same period. The cost of living in Doha is lower than Toronto, for example, and in addition all this salary received in Qatar is tax free.
United States
It is obvious that the United States will be on this list, but with some caveats. The United States is a rich country, no doubt, but it is also a country of increasing contrasts. While there are safe and prosperous cities, there are also cities that increasingly look like a set from an apocalyptic movie. So if you go to the United States, choose your city and state based on the reality of 2024 and not based on that romanticized vision of the 1990s. The United States does not have by far the highest purchasing power in the world, but due to its size, population, and economy, there are many opportunities for jobs with or without qualifications; the difficult thing, as everyone knows, is to get a visa, be it for tourism or for work. Due also to the high entry barrier it is important to consider other places.
To enter the next country on the list many countries and nationalities no longer require a visa and can seek employment.
United Arab Emirates
United Arab Emirates, especially the Emirates of Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Overall, the Arab country is slightly ahead of the United States in purchasing power, but you need to choose your profession well. Unlike in the United States, here you will not earn well with manual labor or in construction, in fact, the hard life of workers in Dubai is a matter of much controversy, the same happens in Qatar that I just talked about. Another disadvantage here is the unrelenting heat for six months of the year, definitely not a place where I would want to spend the summer, but other than that, Dubai and Abu Dhabi have good salaries for various professions, there are also many opportunities for business here, but in today’s video we will focus on salary. Many of my friends have passed through Dubai and Abu Dhabi in 2022. While in the west big cities increasingly face problems like crime, violence, drugs and homelessness, here in Dubai we see none of that in part due to the strict policies, laws and punishments. Whatever primer New York, London and Paris are following, Dubai seems to be going in the opposite direction and that’s great. Unlike in Europe, multiculturalism has actually worked here, it really has. Foreigners are the majority, 85% of the population, and everyone lives in peace. The cost of living in Dubai in general is much lower than London, this I speak from my own experience, but there is also the data from numbeo.com.
Rent in Dubai is 30% cheaper while the purchasing power is 40% higher than in London, this is partly due to the fact that in Dubai your salary is tax free. The tax on purchases is also 5%, unlike in Europe where it can reach 23%. And why do many people still prefer London to Dubai? It is a mystery!
And here is a list of occupations and salaries in Dubai and Doha. The values are in dihan, the UAE currency. Just be careful when researching Dubai as there are many myths and half-truths out there. While London is worse and more expensive than you think, Dubai is better and cheaper than you think.
| Profession | Dubai Salary AED | Doha Salary AED |
| Accountant | 156,000 | 126,076 |
| Civil Engineer | 212,000 | 177,000 |
| Electrician | 111,000 | 185,000 |
| Business Development Manager | 183,000 | 281,000 |
| Teacher | 144,000 | 150,000 |
| Admin Clerk | 72,600 | 100,000 |
| Graphic Designer | 61,500 | 110,000 |
| Air Traffic Controller | 249,600 | 209,000 |
| Mechanic | 82,800 | 71,000 |
| HR Manager | 372,000 | 282,000 |
| Petroleum Engineer | 235,200 | 302,00 |
| Nurse | 184,800 | 141,000 |
Well, some of these countries that I have mentioned and will mention speak English as a native language, while in others such as Switzerland, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates English is widely used as a lingua franca. In fact, no matter where you go, English is the universal language and not mastering it will limit your opportunities, even if you decide to stay in your country. To practice your English conversation from anywhere you can use Cambly. You can join conversations with other students and talk about travel and different cultures.
Canada
The next country on the list is Canada, and unlike Dubai, in Canada manual labor pays well. If you shield yourself from the growing problems of this country and focus only on the salary, then Canada is a valid option. and of course, not all Canadian cities are equal and the Province of Alberta stands out due to its lower tax policy. Less taxes means more money in your pocket, but I will talk more about that soon. Getting into Canada depending on your passport is not easy, but once you are here, getting an informal job that pays well is relatively easy.
Australia
In Australia there is something called SuperAnnuation, which in short is as if the worker receives a tithe every month, which accumulates and can only be accessed when the worker reaches the retirement age. Of course, companies take this into consideration when negotiating salaries and in the end it is not extra money, but this forced discipline makes many Australians have money saved for retirement or for proven financial emergencies. For those who are temporary residents you can withdraw this money when you leave the country, after years working in Australia you will have a small ‘pocket money’ to receive. It is 35% retained by taxes but at the end of that fiscal year you can redeem a good part of it. The taxes are relatively high, but in Australia the individual can get back part of what he paid in taxes. Sales tax is also relatively low in Australia, that is 10% unlike the 23% of Portugal. Tax on purchases in Brazil then, no comments. Simple work and manual labor pay very well in Australia. So well that as a gardener you will see Irish, English and New Zealanders. Why did people from rich countries come to Australia to do manual work? Simple, because it paid off. But that was more than 10 years ago. Today for the Irish this exchange is not so financially worthwhile, after all, in 2014 Ireland made a leap in purchasing power leaving Australia in the dust.
And speaking of Ireland…
Ireland
Ireland has prospered so much since 2014 that it ended up becoming a victim of its own success and attracting a serious housing crisis in its big cities. Well that’s nothing new in big cities in wealthy countries anymore. If you can get around this difficulty of getting a house, then in Ireland you will have one of the highest wages in the world, and even if you get a simple job like in Australia, Ireland has one of the highest minimum wages in the world. If you have European citizenship and are thinking of living in the United States, you should rethink your choices if your intention is to migrate to where the salary is higher. After all, there is still one more European country on the list.
Luxembourg
Luxembourg is a mini country of 640,000 inhabitants, a landlocked country surrounded by France, Belgium, and Germany. The country attracted a lot of foreign capital becoming an international financial center, which is facilitated by its highly educated population and fluent in several languages, yes Luxembourg is a polyglot country. For those who already have European citizenship everything is easier, both for informal jobs and for jobs that require qualifications.
For those who are not so lucky, it is more difficult to get a job in Luxembourg, but it is not impossible. The sales tax in Luxembourg is around 16%, three times higher than in the UAE, but still much lower than in Brazil or Portugal. And speaking of Portugal, there are so many Portuguese in Luxembourg that, just like in Switzerland, Portuguese is a common language to hear here. And where can you start looking for a job in Luxembourg? – Monster.lu, LinkedIn and jobs.lu – Make contact with people already living there, join Facebook groups in Luxembourg, watch videos of people working in Luxembourg. In addition, Luxembourg has the cheapest fuel in Europe and free public transportation, that is, paid through taxes that are not that high compared to Portugal.
Well, all these countries, without exception, have little corruption and high freedom to do business. Something interesting to share: a few days before I published this article the IMF released the purchasing power ranking for 2023, and guess what, Ireland has moved ahead of Luxembourg, and has just officially become the richest country in the world in purchasing power.
I also put Portugal and Brazil on the list just for comparison, and as I said, this data is from 2023 from the IMF. If what you want is to gather money in the coming years through a salary, then these countries are good options, now if what you want is to create roots, family and business in the country then it is important to take into consideration the cultural, political and economic direction that the country in question is taking, after all, money is not everything and salary is not the only and much less the best way to gather it.
But speaking of money here are related articles for you who are looking for freelance jobs around Europe.
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