12 September 2025
Remote work—and the digital-nomad boom—has many people asking where they can earn the highest paychecks. The catch is that “most” isn’t a single number; it depends on taxes, benefits, and how far your money goes where you’re living.
While some countries offer high average pay rates, others have more attractive tax and social benefits, and still others stand out for their low cost of living. For that reason, you need to look beyond simple salaries to work out the true “value” of living in one country or another.
Paylab can help with that. Whether you work remotely, hybridly, or on-site, you can see percentiles, anchor expectations, and research country-level salaries for your role and seniority before sending off any applications.
How to Decide Who “Pays the Most” (For You)
Grade each country or company on the same, simple scale:
Pay model:
- Global-flat pay: one rate for everyone, regardless of your location.
- Geo-based pay: your rate changes depending on where you live.
- HQ-based pay: your rate is tied to the region’s main office
- Compensation: you should include base pay, any KPI-based bonuses, equity/stock, and allowances (housing, transport, schooling, and tax help).
- Geo-based pay: your rate changes depending on where you live.
- Deductions: income taxes and social contributions for your specific situation. This is where some countries can end up being far more attractive than others.
- Benefits: healthcare, pension/retirement, paid leave, parental policies.
- Living costs: rental rates in the area you plan to live, commuting, childcare, utilities, and groceries. Careful research can help to avoid unexpected or nasty surprises.
- Moving country: visas, relocation help, legal fees, and whether you’ll be eligible for permanent status in the future.
- Currencies: what you’re paid in vs what you spend; plan for swings if they differ.
Use Paylab to set role-by-country target ranges and percentiles, then plug those numbers into your budget. Now you’re judging countries by take-home pay and living costs, rather than just looking at a convincing job advert.
2025 Pay Leaders at a Glance
Pair these snapshots with your Paylab salary estimate so you know where you sit:
United States (major hubs + strong secondary cities)
Why it pays: strong in tech and finance, with a possibility of equity. Watch: big city cost gaps; state taxes and healthcare can have a huge impact on your pay.
Switzerland (Zurich, Geneva, Basel)
Why it pays: high salaries in finance, pharma, and precision engineering; good benefits programs. Watch: very high housing and services costs.
Gulf states (UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia)
Why it pays: tax advantages on employment income; packages often include housing, flights, and schooling. Watch: allowance rules and contract durations vary—read them carefully.
Singapore
Why it pays: regional HQ compensation, efficient immigration, solid public services. Watch: housing and schooling in prime areas can be very expensive.
Germany & Netherlands
Why it pays: strong engineering, manufacturing, and clean-tech; robust social welfare and leave benefits. Watch: Offers are often quoted as gross monthly pay. Confirm what your take-home pay will be after any deductions.
Nordics (Denmark, Sweden, Norway, Finland)
Why it pays: quality of life—generous leave, childcare, healthcare. Watch: good public services cost a government money, and that comes from higher taxes.
Australia
Why it pays: demand in regulated and care professions, plus engineering and digital. Watch: visa pathways and city-to-city cost of living differences. Major cities can be very expensive.
If you will be working on-site, place greater weight on relocation costs, local allowances, and living expenses. If you’ll be working remotely, confirm whether pay is global-flat, geo-based, or HQ-based—this alone can shift which country “pays the most” for you.
Cost of Living vs Big Salaries
For someone living in Thailand, a salary of US $200,000 per annum would feel like their lottery numbers have just come through. However, that figure might be much more modest if you’re living in Silicon Valley, which has some of the world’s highest housing costs and local taxes. Despite the region’s high average salaries being famous, it might surprise you to learn that demand for California debt consolidation is also greater than most countries.
What it boils down to is this: how much disposable income you have is directly related not just to how much you’re pay, but also to your living costs. The ideal situation is to be like that person in Thailand - a high salary with comparatively low expenses.
Considerations when researching:
- Price the neighborhood you’d actually want to live (not the cheapest listing).
- Add commute, childcare, utilities, and anything else you know you’ll be spending.
- Layer in taxes and social contributions for your status.
- Include allowances and how long they last.
How to Spot Countries That Will Pay More Next
Pay often rises where hiring is about to surge, so you can employ some clever strategies to put yourself ahead of the game. Catch early signals with simple tools:
- Use a Google rank checker to compare sets of target companies in two cities (e.g., “AI Toronto” vs “AI London”). If several companies are attracting a lot of attention in the same area, it could be a sign that the market is growing.
- Cross-check those cities on Paylab for your role and level. If online buzz and pay ranges are both strong, reach out before the crowd arrives.
Follow the Public Money (Career Tracks You Might Miss)
Conventional wisdom says that the private sector is where you’ll find the best pay, but that’s not always the case. Big, multi-year government programs can also be a source of high-paying jobs. Australia’s National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) is a good example: sustained funding has driven demand for skilled staff and managers. A simple search for NDIS providers Sydney shows how strong the market is, and that translates into equally good pay.
How you apply it:
- Track budget papers and reforms in health, aged care, energy, and defense.
- List the roles these programs hire (clinical, data, operations, compliance).
- Target cities where demand outstrips supply.
- Confirm any qualifications or nationality requirements so you can start—and earn—sooner.
On-Site, Hybrid, or Remote: Make Any Mode Pay Like a Top Offer
Use the same “total value” lens for whatever working model applies to you:
- On-site: weigh visas, relocation timelines, and who pays legal fees. Price housing and, if needed, schooling. Ask about tax advice and temporary housing.
- Hybrid: confirm office-day expectations, any travel or meal stipends, and the value of face time (mentorship, visibility, promotions).
- Remote: confirm the pay model (global-flat, geo-based, HQ-based). Check how benefits might change if you move countries. Watch the risk of market fluctuations if you’re paid in one currency and spend in another.
With Paylab, you can view your role’s income in multiple countries, apply the company’s pay model, and then work out which path leaves you with the most disposable income.
Offer Value Scorecard (Your One-Page Filter)
Score each offer from 1–5, then compare totals:
- Base & bonus (vs Paylab percentiles)
- Equity/stock (if applicable)
- Allowances (housing, transport, schooling, tax prep, flights; duration and rules)
- Taxes & social contributions (expected deductions and employer support)
- Benefits (healthcare, pension, leave, parental policies)
- Living costs (rent, commute, and groceries)
- Mobility (visa certainty, timelines, family needs)
- Currency exposure (earn vs spend currency; plan for swings)
- Career upside (brand, team, mentorship, promotion path)
A lower base salary can still win if your monthly surplus and growth path are stronger.
Conclusion
If you want to know which countries are “paying the most” in 2025, measure what matters to you: after-tax pay, real costs, and benefits, matched to how you work. Use Paylab to anchor country ranges for your role, then build a clear, honest budget for each location. When you judge offers by total value—not just the advertised salary—you’ll be in a better position to know which countries really stand out.
