Country Comparison · Updated June 2026
Tax Optimization: Spain vs Portugal vs Italy
Southern Europe runs a three-way regime competition for inbound talent: Spain's Beckham Law (24% flat, 6 years, investment income exempt), Portugal's IFICI (20% flat on qualifying professions, 10 years), and Italy's impatriati (50% of income exempt → effective ~21.5%, 5 years, 60% exemption with kids). At €120k of salary, all three land within a few thousand euros – the differences live in duration, scope, and what happens to your portfolio.
Decision drivers beyond the rate: Portugal's 10-year duration doubles the others; Spain alone exempts foreign dividends and caps wealth tax to Spanish assets; Italy alone scales with family (60% exemption) and offers the €200k flat-tax alternative for the genuinely wealthy. Living costs barely separate them: Lisbon $2,300, Madrid $2,400, Rome ≈ $2,400/month single.
Country comparison tool · 2026
Take-home on your salary
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| Metric | A | B |
|---|
2026 estimates. Net pay combines income tax + employee social charges (US column modeled in a no-income-tax state); special expat regimes can improve the destination figure.
Key insights
Key insights
- Spain 24% flat (6y) · Portugal 20% (10y) · Italy ~21.5% effective (5y).
- Spain uniquely exempts foreign dividends/gains.
- Portugal's 10-year duration doubles the rivals.
- Italy scales with family: 60% exemption with children.
- Living costs barely separate Lisbon, Madrid, Rome.
| Country | Effective tax + social | Net / year | Net / month |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | 30% | $79,180 | $6,598 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 27% | $71,535 | $5,961 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 38% | $60,567 | $5,047 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 33% | $62,389 | $5,199 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 33% | $64,130 | $5,344 |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | 29% | $63,589 | $5,299 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 31% | $54,762 | $4,564 |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | 35% | $58,127 | $4,844 |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | 22% | $78,000 | $6,500 |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | 28% | $72,000 | $6,000 |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | 26% | $74,000 | $6,167 |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | 12% | $88,000 | $7,333 |
The three regimes, decision-grade
Pick Spain when: investment income matters (the exemption is unique), salaries exceed €70k, and severance risk is low. Pick Portugal when: your profession qualifies for IFICI and you want the decade of certainty (plus D8 visa simplicity for non-EU). Pick Italy when: family exemption scaling (60% with children) fits, or the impatriati's southern-regions enhancement applies.
Social charges hide in every comparison: European "income tax" figures without employee social contributions understate wedges by 10–20 points; US figures without the 7.65% FICA do the same. Every number on this page includes both sides' full employee burden.
What the wedge buys (and doesn't)
European wedges return visible services: healthcare without premiums, university without $200k price tags, childcare at €100–€600/month, year-long parental leave, and pensions with real replacement rates. The US wedge returns lower rates and higher variance – superb for high-earning, healthy, child-free years; expensive for everything else.
The honest framework: compute your family's actual US service costs (health premiums + deductibles, childcare, college funding, disability/life insurance you self-buy) as a percentage of income, add it to the US wedge, then compare. For median families that adjusted wedge runs 38–45% – European-grade, without the services guarantee.
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
Which country lets you keep the most of $100k?
Among major destinations: Singapore (~88%), the US in no-tax states (~75%), the UK (~73%), Spain (~71%), the Netherlands (~67%), Germany (~62%), Belgium (~60%) – see the full gross-to-net table above. Special expat regimes (Beckham, IFICI, 30% ruling) move European answers 5–15 points.
Are European taxes really that much higher?
The wedges are higher (typically +8–15 points at $100k), but they bundle healthcare, childcare subsidies, education, and pensions that Americans buy privately. Service-adjusted, median-family burdens converge; top-earner burdens don't – the US remains the high-earner's structure.
Do these figures include social security contributions?
Yes – every figure combines income tax plus the employee's social charges (FICA in the US, NI in the UK, Sozialabgaben in Germany, etc.). Employer-side contributions are excluded consistently on both sides.
How do expat tax regimes change the picture?
Dramatically: Spain's Beckham (24% flat), Portugal's IFICI (20%), Italy's impatriati (~21.5% effective), the Dutch 30% ruling, and Croatia's nomad exemption (0%) all cut standard wedges by 5–20 points for qualifying inbound workers – the regime pages model each.
What about US citizens moving to Europe?
Citizenship-based taxation makes them pay the higher of the two systems: FTCs zero the US bill in high-tax Europe; low-tax setups leave residual IRS liability above the $132,900 FEIE. The US-expat pages on this site cover the mechanics.
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