Country rankings: take-home pay, leave, childcare, family benefits, and work rights
By Skyler Bissell · Updated November 2026 ยท computed from cityparity's engine data
71 countries, 9 tables: what a salary keeps after tax, what a family pays to stay covered, what a paid week off is worth, what childcare costs after modeled help, what parents get back in cash, who banks the most paid time off, what an employer pays on top of a salary, and where each passport can legally take a job. The money tables are computed from the same tax brackets, labor law, and benefit tables behind the calculator; the right-to-work table is compiled from treaty texts with a primary source per rule.
Income tax rates by country
Belgium takes 50.2% of a $150,000 salary in income tax and employee contributions; the median US metro takes 28.5%. Effective rates at $100k, $150k and $250k for 71 countries, with a Europe table and the ten highest-taxed.
Healthcare costs by country
A US family of four on $150,000 pays about $13,500 a year to stay covered. 68 of the 71 countries come in under that. Premiums and out-of-pocket costs for the same family in every country, with the funding rule named in each row.
Sick leave by country
A month off sick on $150,000 pays about $2,900 at the median US metro, and nothing by law in 11 of the 28 metros we cover. 10 countries pay full wages for the whole four weeks. Statutory sick pay for 71 countries, waiting days and caps included.
Vacation days by country
The US sets no federal floor for paid vacation. Every other rich country on this list does. Statutory paid vacation and the public holidays that land on a workday, charted for 70 countries, with the gap against the US priced at a $150,000 salary.
Parental leave by country, priced
A year of Norwegian parental leave is worth about $82,000 at a $150,000 salary once the 6G benefit ceiling is priced. The US federal default, FMLA, is worth $0. Full-pay-equivalent weeks puts a generous-but-partial-pay scheme and a short-but-full-pay one on the same scale.
Childcare costs by country
Berlin's public Kita is free. A comparable US metro runs $1,650 to $2,400 a month, paid from after-tax income. Monthly care for one 3-year-old after modeled help, at a two-earner $150,000 household.
Child benefit by country
Germany pays about $295 a month per child in Kindergeld. Norway's barnetrygd works differently but lands in the same table. Cash paid per child per year for 70 countries, benefits and tax credits counted the same way.
Right to work by country
An Irish passport can take a job in 23 of the 70 covered countries with no work permit. A US passport manages zero. Treaty-bloc work-authorization rules for all 70 countries, from EU/EEA free movement to Mercosur residence, each with its primary source.
Employer cost by country
An Estonian employer adds 33.8% on top of your salary before you see a payslip. A Texas employer adds 7.8%. Statutory employer contributions for 31 countries, with the tax rate measured against contract gross and against employer cost, sortable and sourced.
These are country averages. Your own answer depends on the two actual cities, your salary, and your family size: run a real comparison.
Figures come from cityparity's per-city engine, computed from official sources with a per-value audit trail; currency conversions use rates from 2026-11-02 and drift daily. Treat any single number as a strong estimate and run your own. See the methodology.