YOUR MONEY / ACROSS BORDERS
SAME INCOME.
DIFFERENT POSSIBILITIES.
Where you live changes what you keep.
Compare estimated take-home pay across seven destinations, then see the taxes behind the numbers.
Explore the assumptionsTHE TAKE-HOME LEADERBOARD
WHAT COULD YOU KEEP?
After tax and statutory contributions · Before workplace pension saving
READ THE SMALL PRINT. SEE THE BIG PICTURE.
A FAIR COMPARISON
STARTS WITH THE ASSUMPTIONS.
Tax is one part of a move. These figures compare annual cash income under the stated rules; they do not measure living costs, healthcare benefits or quality of life.
What is being compared? +
Employee: the same gross salary, converted into each local currency. Income tax and modeled compulsory employee contributions are deducted. Employer contributions are outside gross salary and therefore outside this comparison.
Business owner: the same company profit after operating expenses but before owner salary, employer contributions and corporation tax. A single 40-year-old owns 100% of one established, locally managed services company. The chosen salary is paid first; all distributable profit is then paid as dividends. No associated companies, special expat regimes, carried losses or other income. Capital is fully paid. Salary may be reduced if profit cannot fund its employer cost.
The companies are taxable corporations, including a US C-corporation, a French SASU and a Spanish SL. Local mandatory social regimes differ. These are comparable stated assumptions, not a recommendation for the most tax-efficient structure or an assurance that a chosen salary is appropriate.
Locations, residency and exclusions +
UK: England, Wales or Northern Ireland. US: Florida. Spain: Madrid. Dubai: UAE mainland, non-GCC expatriate. France: metropolitan France outside Alsace-Moselle. Ireland and Isle of Man: ordinary resident taxation.
Single, no children, full-year local residence and locally earned income. No continuing US citizenship/green-card tax obligations outside the US, dual residence or overseas company. No pension contributions beyond statutory schemes, student loans, benefits in kind, itemised expenses or special deductions.
Housing, property and wealth taxes, VAT on spending, immigration and licence fees, variable private health insurance, employer-specific benefits, relocation and professional fees are excluded. These cannot be calculated from income alone. Mandatory social charges and relevant income surtaxes are included as described in each breakdown.
Salary-and-dividend extraction needs local advice: tax authorities may require reasonable remuneration for work performed. This tool does not test commercial substance, visa eligibility or salary reasonableness.
Tax years, exchange rates and precision +
Rules researched on 16 October 2026. UK and Isle of Man use 2026/27. Calendar-year systems use 2026 rules where published. France’s personal tax estimate uses the latest published 2026 assessment scale for 2025 income; the final scale for 2026 income is not yet known. Each country’s notes explain further conventions.
Default exchange rates: ECB reference rates dated 16 October 2026, EUR 1 = GBP 0.84385 and USD 1.1253. The UAE dirham is converted at AED 3.6725 per USD. Reference rates are a dated snapshot, not a live quote. All tax is calculated in local currency, then converted back to pounds.
Annual calculations approximate payroll rounding and timing. Monthly display is annual take-home divided by 12; it is not a monthly payslip or dividend schedule. Results are estimates, not personalised tax advice. Rules and rates are not updated automatically.