Want to live abroad as a digital nomad? This how much you could earn in your job in 38 countries
Dreaming of trading in your current job for a shiny new one abroad? You’re definitely not the only one.
The COVID-19 pandemic has pushed many people to rethink their relationship with work – including where exactly they’d like to carry it out.
As we come out of lockdowns and strict pandemic-related restrictions, many workers in Europe and the United States are still thinking of leaving jobs that do not meet their needs or offer a good work-life balance.
And if you are anything like the 1 in 5 respondents recently surveyed by PWC who say they are likely to change employers in the next 12 months, a new salary calculator could come in handy.
The tool, created by insurance company William Russell, shows how average salaries for different jobs vary across the 38 countries in the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD).
The firm used data from Glassdoor to find the average salary in each OECD country for 36 different job roles, and then converted these salaries into US dollars and British pounds. Hourly rates were converted to a yearly salary based on a 37.5-hour working week.
How much would you earn as a digital nomad?
Using this calculator, a web developer who wants to be based in Europe can see that they’d be paid more in Switzerland ($88,496) or Denmark ($70,763), as compared to France ($43,757) or the Netherlands ($40,531), and in stark contrast to Greece ($13,492) or Portugal ($15,557).
The calculator lists salaries for a wide range of occupations, including nurses, doctors, bartenders, graphic designers and accountants (although data was not available for every job in every country).
Of course, salaries may vary considerably between countries, but so does the cost of living.
Switzerland and Denmark might pay out salaries at the top end of the scale, but both countries are also among the top 10 most expensive countries to live in, based on the OECD’s cost of living index.
Included alongside the calculator is a list of the most expensive and least expensive countries, based on this index.
Switzerland, Iceland, Norway, Israel and Australia are the top 5 countries with the highest cost of living. Meanwhile, Turkey, Colombia, Mexico, Poland and Hungary are listed as the most affordable.
Here’s a look at the typical salaries for some of these jobs, across select OECD countries:
UX/UI designer
According to the salary calculator, the United States ($105,000) has among the highest average salaries for a UX/UI designer, followed by Switzerland ($88,496), while the lowest levels of pay are in Turkey ($6,217) and Colombia ($12,311). Here is what you would get in some European countries:
Top 5 (in USD)
Switzerland – $88,496
UK – $64,478
Germany – $58,782
Ireland – $52,076
Luxembourg – $51,648
Bottom 5
Poland – $20,613
Hungary – $18,404
Portugal – $17,769
Greece – $16,731
Slovakia - $16,461
Doctor
Doctors in the United States ($151,000), Canada ($112,290) and Norway ($110,668) have the highest average salaries in the OECD, while those in Turkey ($7,994), Mexico ($10,243) and the Czech Republic ($14,853) are among the lowest-paid.
Top 5 (in USD)
Norway – $110,668
Switzerland – $101,447
Italy – $93,152
Netherlands – $70,484
Ireland – $69,842
Bottom 5
Greece – $35,347
Spain – $35,053
Slovakia - $23,126
Portugal – $21,615
Czech Republic – $14,853
Graphic designer
The highest average salaries for graphic designers are found in Switzerland ($85,258), Lithuania (US$58,467) and Norway ($57,990), while Turkey ($4,441), Colombia ($6,155) and Mexico ($6,829) were among the lowest.
Top 5 (in USD)
Switzerland – $85,258
Lithuania – $58,467
Norway – $57,990
Denmark – $56,248
Italy – $48,527
Bottom 5
Slovenia – $15,759
Portugal – $12,049
Poland – $11,779
Greece – $11,725
Hungary – $11,314
Accountant
For accountants, the highest average salaries are in Switzerland ($118,714), Iceland ($83,219) and Austria ($72,060). Meanwhile Turkey ($7,994), Mexico ($12,520) and Greece ($14,126) are among the lowest.
Top 5 (in USD)
Switzerland – $118,714
Iceland – $83,219
Austria – $72,060
Netherlands – $69,570
Denmark – $68,949
Bottom 5
Slovakia – $19,038
Portugal – $18,700
Hungary – $18,073
Poland – $17,668
Greece – $14,126
For more jobs and comparisons, check out the salary calculator to see what you would earn as a digital nomad in other countries.