Ask HN: How to Emigrate from EU and Where?

Where to: US.

Emigrating to the US at the moment isn't too great either.

For talented tech people: It's where the money is.

In the EU the compensation difference between top 1% and bottom 1% performers is generally absurdly small.

I think (outside of outliers) this is a common misconception. while your salary might be higher in the US we are paying a sh*tton of money for things that europeans generally do not, ESPECIALLY if you are a parent like myself.

I am meticulous about tracking finance and so far (my daughter is 11) I have spent $374k which if I lived in Europe would now be in my pocket. This isn’t total expenses, this is only expenses that I have to pay for here that I would not otherwise. I also have another decade+ of raising and schooling etc to pay for

Roughly another $50k per year on average I spend currently on other things that I would not be if I lived in Europe…

Doesn't matter if your overall profit is higher. Which it is unless you're a very bad programmer.

Did you put this on paper? this is why I saw it is a misconception, everyone is just talking but if you put it on paper and actually do the math... I earn in the low $800's per year and would probably make 3/5's of that if I was in Europe, the math doesn't work out that I am better off in the US. It is just that my wife doesn't want to move that I am still here :)

480k per year in Europe? That's totally crazy. Where? I have never seen anyone claiming to make more than cca 200k, maybe 300k around here.

that is because they slave on "W2's" - I have been contracting with 2005-ish... on a "W2" it'd be (A LOT) harder but probably doable if you find the right spot. EU has a TON of money for small business, especially if you live in not-so-rich places (balkans, etc...) so doing contracting or starting a small 5-6 people dev shop is not out of reach for most talented and business-savvy devs

Sure. That's very different from coasting at a FAANG though. And living in the Balkans is nothing like living in Bay Area, LA, NYC etc. I don't think it's comparable.

But of course - do what is best for you. If this is your situation and you like living in the Balkans, go for it. I love the place myself.

Overall though, I don't think this is the safe, easy, simple route. That's moving to the US and grinding some leetcode, not learning the basics of Balkan business culture and EU business regulations. I wouldn't recommend that to anyone who doesn't know very well what it takes - usually by going to a business school or having few years of business experience in EU - elsewhere doesn't count, it's much easier elsewhere.

(I have experience exactly with what you suggest, to be clear. I had to stop doing that and go back to a much simpler and less risky principal engineering / SW engineering management job, as the stress and unclear/anti-business regulations were killing me.)

I don't disagree with a single thing you wrote... I am still though sticking with my original comment that it is a big misconception that you are better off financially in US vs. EU (I won't mention non-financial things as that would be unfair and not-even-remotely-fair contest between EU and US) working in the US than EU. I think we focus on gross pay (in US people even talk salary BEFORE taxes which is absolute insanity, like "I make $300k - no you don't you make about 1/2 that depending on where you live, in EU when someone tells you then make $200k they mean that is how much money is deposited into their bank that year...) and not in terms of "real earnings" - very few people that make US > EU claims actually do some math...