I built a tool ranking the world’s best cities (financially) for a SWE to live in /u/mohamed3on CSCQ protests reddit

Hey everyone! After seeing countless “Should I take this job in X or Y?” posts, I wanted to share something I built that might help with these decisions.

As a data-obsessed SWE in Berlin looking to maximize my own career choices, I created a tool that shows you what you ACTUALLY keep after taxes and expenses in different tech hubs. Not just the fancy salaries on levels.fyi, but real purchasing power.

Some eye-opening findings that might help with your next career move:

1. Seattle and Austin beat SF for take-home pay because:

   • You get similar FAANG/tech salaries
   • No state income tax (vs California’s brutal 13.3%)
   • Way cheaper housing than SF
   • Same access to top tech companies

2. The US is still the undisputed #1 place for SWEs:

3. A remote SWE in the middle of nowhere in the US (no disrespect, Kansas City) earns 42% more money than a London-based engineer due to:

   • 32% lower living costs
   • Much lower taxes

4. Western Europe is not even second best (for those considering international moves):

   • Milan engineers earn 54% less than Abu Dhabi
   • Pay 38% in taxes (vs 0% in UAE)
   • Higher cost of living

5. TC packages are generally much lower than US

The tool has a “salary calculator” where you input your current TC and it tells you exactly what you need to earn in another city to maintain the same lifestyle. Super helpful for negotiating relocation packages or evaluating remote work options.

Check it out: https://www.techcities.app

Built this with Cursor and Next.js.

Would love feedback from the community!

Hey everyone! After seeing countless “Should I take this job in X or Y?” posts, I wanted to share something I built that might help with these decisions.

As a data-obsessed SWE in Berlin looking to maximize my own career choices, I created a tool that shows you what you ACTUALLY keep after taxes and expenses in different tech hubs. Not just the fancy salaries on levels.fyi, but real purchasing power.

Some eye-opening findings that might help with your next career move:

1. Seattle and Austin beat SF for take-home pay because:

   • You get similar FAANG/tech salaries
   • No state income tax (vs California’s brutal 13.3%)
   • Way cheaper housing than SF
   • Same access to top tech companies

2. The US is still the undisputed #1 place for SWEs:

3. A remote SWE in the middle of nowhere in the US (no disrespect, Kansas City) earns 42% more money than a London-based engineer due to:

   • 32% lower living costs
   • Much lower taxes

4. Western Europe is not even second best (for those considering international moves):

   • Milan engineers earn 54% less than Abu Dhabi
   • Pay 38% in taxes (vs 0% in UAE)
   • Higher cost of living

5. TC packages are generally much lower than US

The tool has a “salary calculator” where you input your current TC and it tells you exactly what you need to earn in another city to maintain the same lifestyle. Super helpful for negotiating relocation packages or evaluating remote work options.

Check it out: https://www.techcities.app

Built this with Cursor and Next.js.

Would love feedback from the community!