Germany, then Spain
I moved from Germany to Spain. I like it here, but I know it isn't for good. At some point there will be another move, and this time I want to choose it with my eyes open.
Not just my decision
My girlfriend isn't from Europe. So the next place isn't only about my job or my salary: it has to be somewhere we can both build a life. That makes the list shorter, and every number on it matters more.
The money part
Money isn't everything, but it decides a lot. What's left after tax and social security is what pays the rent, the flights home and the savings. And more and more countries offer a tax benefit to people who move there: of the 32 countries we cover, 23 have at least one. Each has its own rate, its own years and its own conditions, and the rules keep changing.
What I couldn't find
I looked for one place where I could put in my salary and see every country side by side, with the tax benefits included. I found calculators for one country at a time, articles that were out of date, and forum answers that disagreed with each other. I couldn't tell which numbers to trust, or where they came from.
So I built it
netlands is the tool I wanted: what you keep after tax in every country we cover, and what changes with a tax benefit. Every rule comes from the law and shows when it was checked. Drafts and announcements are shown, but never used in a result. When we haven't checked something yet, the page says so. Here's how we calculate.
If you're deciding too
I built it for my own decision first, and for anyone else working out where to live next. I hope it helps. If a number looks wrong, I'd rather hear about it than have you rely on it.