Should You Move to the US as a European Software Engineer? Complete Analysis

In our ongoing discussions, starting from our very first edition, we've highlighted the superior compensation opportunities available to engineers in the United States compared to those in Europe. The prospect of relocating to the U.S. is not only enticing but also quite feasible for European engineers.

But, is making such a move truly in your best interest?

This article will delve into the benefits and drawbacks of relocating to the U.S., alongside the practicalities involved, including visa acquisition and other essential considerations.

Compare European tech opportunities →

The Pros: Why Move to the US?

1. Better Career Opportunities

The number of opportunities for career development for a software engineer in the US is order of magnitudes bigger than in Europe.

Virtually all quality and highest-paying companies hiring for developers are American, and they have a larger presence there than in Europe:

• More positions across all levels
• Bigger offices with more teams
• Larger projects with more scope
• More specialized roles available

Accelerated Career Trajectory

If your goal is to join and have a career in such companies, you'll manage to accelerate your trajectory by being there:

Faster initial entry: You'll need less time to get your first big tech high-paying full-time job

Easier promotions: When offices are big and there are many projects with large scope, you will have more opportunities than by being in a small office with small projects

The Small Office Problem in Europe

Let's consider the extreme case of being in a small office with just one project (not a rare scenario for a big tech job in Europe):

• If this project goes well and the team expands, you'll get promotions (if you do well)
• Otherwise it will be harder for you to progress

This is somewhat more relevant if you are at mid/senior levels, as the first promotion from junior is usually not so dependent on what happens in your team.

The US Advantage: Internal Mobility

If you're working in the American HQ of a big tech company, you'll have many teams and projects to join and look at:

• If you're in a team that isn't growing much
• Or in a project that doesn't look very promising
• You'll be able to network within the office
• Figure out which teams are worth joining
• Plan and execute the switch

2. Straightforward Path to Big Tech

Getting your first big tech job in the US is quite straightforward:

1. Gather a pool of target companies (easily find 50-100 companies with top salary for devs with large presence/office in the US)
2. Search for referrals and apply
3. LeetCode and interview
4. Do a few 3-month internships (maybe 2 or 3)
5. Try to get at least one full-time return offer

Didn't get good internships while in school? You can apply a similar strategy for full-time job search. The only difference is that it will be a little bit harder to interview and get a full-time offer than to get hired for an internship and get a return offer. But it's still very doable.

You can apply this strategy even if you've been in the industry for a while and want to upgrade your company.

3. Job Hopping for Rapid Growth

Job hopping can be quite useful for your career, and in the US you'll be able to do it much more effectively. Given the amount of good companies hiring, you won't find it hard to:

• Find jobs to apply to
• Level up your salary
• Increase seniority

4. You'll Make/Save More Money

As we explained in previous articles, the US has at least 3 large sites with plenty of tech jobs at similar pay ranges:

• California (Bay Area, Los Angeles)
• New York (NYC metro area)
• Seattle (and greater Washington state)

Meaning that it will be easy to get a six-figure job in one of these locations and start saving significant amounts of money early on.

Pay is Relatively Uniform

In general, pay in the US is relatively uniformly distributed across states (way more than in Europe), and there are many locations with good opportunities for tech and good pay.

In addition to the 3 main ones mentioned above, we could also look at:

• Austin, Texas
• Atlanta, Georgia
• Miami, Florida
• Colorado (Denver, Boulder)
• Boston, Massachusetts

They all offer lots of six-figure tech jobs.

US vs Europe Salary Comparison

Level	US (HCOL)	Europe (Zurich)	Europe (London)	Europe (Berlin)
Junior (E3)	$150k-$200k	€120k (~$130k)	€90k (~$100k)	€75k (~$82k)
Mid (E4)	$200k-$280k	€160k (~$175k)	€130k (~$145k)	€105k (~$115k)
Senior (E5)	$300k-$450k	€220k (~$240k)	€170k (~$185k)	€135k (~$150k)
Staff (E6)	$450k-$650k+	€300k (~$330k)	€240k (~$265k)	€180k (~$200k)

HCOL = High cost of living (Bay Area, NYC, Seattle)

As you can see, US compensation is 1.5-2.5x higher at every level, even compared to the highest-paying European cities.

5. Better Skill Development

Given the amount of opportunities, and given the overall culture in the US that puts high importance on one's work life, in general you'd have more chances of growing your skills working there.

If you're a developer, you will have more choice to join:

• Product companies with tech as a high priority
• Companies where engineers are treated as first-class citizens
• Teams with culture that prioritizes efficiency and impact

This could help you become a more effective professional.

6. Networking Opportunities

The density of top talent is unmatched:

• People working in good companies
• People starting companies
• People who have access to funding for starting companies
• People working in cutting-edge academia

You would meet many of them by working in tech in the US.

Explore high-paying European alternatives →

The Cons: Why Stay in Europe?

1. If You're Not Interested in Big Tech, the Advantage is Smaller

Let's say you're not the most overachieving software engineer, and, instead of just wanting to maximize your career growth, you also want to keep a good work-life balance and enjoy life (while still growing your career), then the advantages given by working in the US will be smaller.

You can still do all the above in the US, but if you want a chill dev job to maintain good quality of life, you can probably find that in Europe too.

Europe's Advantages for Balanced Lifestyle

Actually, in Europe you will have more advantages if you're interested in a chill dev life:

• Less crazy working culture
• More protective employment laws
• More contained living costs and less pressure to be a high earner
• Better welfare systems and less need to stack up big savings to protect yourself

2. Cities in Europe Tend to Be More Liveable

We could argue that cities in the US weren't designed to accommodate the best living experience, unless we define that by having:

• City centers filled with offices and Starbucks
• Residential suburbs with no amenities and little walkability

This might be a subjective aspect, but I think most people would prefer the quality of life in Europe than in the US.

Safety Considerations

Cities in Europe also tend to be more safe too (at least, little to no gun violence).

European cities generally offer:

• Better public transportation
• More walkable neighborhoods
• Richer historical and cultural scenes
• More outdoor cafes and social spaces
• Proximity to nature and other countries

3. Visa Troubles

Getting a visa for working in the US can be a bit annoying: it's not straightforward, in any way you want to go about it. It will be a multi-step, multi-year plan, so the opportunity cost of moving there is something to be considered too.

Two Main Visa Paths

Path 1: Study in the US → H-1B

1. Study there (bachelor/master/PhD/exchange program)
2. Apply for H-1B visa
3. Apply for green card during the H-1B with the hope of getting it
4. Usually you have 3 years of time to apply for it
5. Every time/year you apply, you have around 20-50% chance of getting it

Path 2: Big Tech Transfer → L-1

1. Join a US big tech company in Europe
2. Apply for an internal transfer
3. Usually in this case you'll get an L-1 visa, which is more stable than the H-1B
4. After one year on L-1 you can apply for green card
5. If you're European, in 1-2 years from applying you should get the green card

Visa Path Comparison

Visa Type	Timeline	Stability	Best For	Challenges
H-1B	4-6 years	Low (lottery)	Students	Expensive education, lottery system
L-1	3-4 years	High	Professionals	Need big tech job first in Europe
EB-1	Variable	High	Top talent	Very high bar, rare

They are feasible but as you can see they require some non-trivial steps:

• Studying there can be expensive and it's also not a guaranteed way to stay there given the nature of H-1B
• Finding a big tech job that allows for L-1 visa transfer is not super straightforward (to be sure you'll have to join a FAANG and do a good job in Europe for one or two years before being allowed to transfer to a US office)

4. Job Security

The environment in the US is more cut-throat and especially in recent times we've seen how this could affect your personal and work life if you were to be living there.

This is a risk that has to be taken into account, and it is even more problematic if times like this hit while you're on a temporary visa like L-1 or H-1B.

The Visa + Layoff Double Risk

Being laid off in the US on a work visa means:

• 60 days to find a new job or leave the country
• Massive stress during job search
• Potential loss of green card application progress
• May need to restart visa process

In Europe, employment protections and generous severance packages provide a safety net.

5. Work-Life Balance

As hinted already in previous points, you could end up with a worse work-life balance in the US.

It's true that you are more likely to find a job in a modern company that doesn't have too much dumb bureaucracy and a better culture than some older companies in Europe, but usually the work environments there tend to put a bigger emphasis on performance making jobs there more high-pressure and stressful—at least on average.

Work Culture Comparison

Aspect	US (Big Tech)	Europe (Big Tech)	Europe (General)
Work hours/week	45-55	40-45	35-42
Vacation days	10-20	25-30	25-40
Parental leave	12-16 weeks	16-26 weeks	26-52 weeks
Performance pressure	Very High	High	Medium
After-hours emails	Expected	Common	Rare

What About These Dimensions in Europe?

Let's compare the key factors:

Opportunities

• Europe: List of quality and high-paying companies is shorter (check this article)
• Often times good American companies only have small offices in Europe
• US: Hundreds of top companies, large offices, more roles

Money

• Europe: You'll save less unless you luck out and get a big tech job in Switzerland early on
• Still can achieve €60k-€100k/year savings at senior+ levels
• US: Can save $100k-$200k+/year at senior+ levels

Skills

• Europe: Can still grow significantly, especially at top companies
• US: Probably better on average, more cutting-edge work

Network

• Europe: Strong local networks, good for European market
• US: Unmatched for global tech industry connections

Compare detailed salary data →

When Should You Move to the US?

Move to the US if:

✅ You're early in your career (20s) with flexibility
✅ You want to maximize earnings over 5-10 years
✅ You're willing to sacrifice work-life balance temporarily
✅ You're interested in startup ecosystem and entrepreneurship
✅ You want to work on cutting-edge projects at massive scale
✅ You don't have strong family/partner ties in Europe
✅ You're comfortable with higher risk, higher reward environments

Stay in Europe if:

✅ You value work-life balance and quality of life
✅ You have family or partner commitments in Europe
✅ You prefer liveable cities with culture and walkability
✅ You want job security and strong employment protections
✅ You can achieve your financial goals in Europe (€200k+ is possible)
✅ You want to avoid visa complications and uncertainty
✅ You prefer 4-6 weeks vacation and proper parental leave

The Hybrid Strategy: Best of Both Worlds

Many successful engineers use a hybrid approach:

Phase 1: Build Foundation in Europe (2-4 years)

• Join big tech in Europe
• Build skills, save €60k-€100k
• Get promoted to mid/senior level
• Establish strong performance record

Phase 2: Transfer to US (2-4 years)

• Request L-1 transfer to US office
• Earn $300k-$500k in US
• Save $150k-$250k/year
• Apply for green card

Phase 3: Return to Europe (Optional)

• Transfer back to Europe with US salary negotiation leverage
• Or start your own company
• Or pursue FIRE with substantial savings

This approach minimizes visa risk while maximizing earnings potential.

Other Important Considerations

Exit Tax for US Residents

Do some research on the "exit tax for US residents who leave the US" after having built a small or larger fortune there. The savings you built up there could get taxed if you leave the US permanently.

Key points:

• If you have over $2M in assets, you may face exit tax
• Green card holders are subject to this
• Consultation with tax advisor essential before leaving

Life-Planning Considerations

A lot of people who move to the US for some years will find it difficult to come back afterwards as they would have:

• Built a social circle (if not even a family) over there
• Wouldn't have a lot waiting for them in Europe
• Become accustomed to higher salaries (golden handcuffs)

I heard several times that "moving to the US makes more sense if you plan to stay there long-term and build a life there."

Healthcare Considerations

Aspect	US	Europe
Insurance	Employer-provided, $500-$1,000/month cost	Universal, tax-funded
Deductibles	$1,000-$5,000/year	€0-€500/year
Out-of-pocket max	$5,000-$10,000/year	€1,000-€2,000/year
Prescriptions	Can be very expensive	Subsidized
Quality for tech workers	Excellent with good insurance	Excellent, no insurance needed

For healthy young engineers with good employer insurance, US healthcare is fine. For families or those with health issues, Europe's system provides more security.

Salary Scenarios: Real Numbers

Scenario 1: Junior Engineer (3 years experience)

US Path (Bay Area):

• Salary: $180k total comp
• After tax: ~$120k
• Living costs: $48k/year
• Savings: $72k/year
• 3 years: $216k saved

Europe Path (Zurich):

• Salary: €130k total comp
• After tax: ~€95k
• Living costs: €48k/year
• Savings: €47k/year (~$52k)
• 3 years: €141k saved (~$156k)

Difference: $60k more saved in US over 3 years

Scenario 2: Senior Engineer (7 years experience)

US Path (Bay Area):

• Salary: $400k total comp
• After tax: ~$250k
• Living costs: $60k/year
• Savings: $190k/year
• 3 years: $570k saved

Europe Path (Zurich):

• Salary: €220k total comp
• After tax: ~€155k
• Living costs: €60k/year
• Savings: €95k/year (~$105k)
• 3 years: €285k saved (~$315k)

Difference: $255k more saved in US over 3 years

At senior+ levels, the US financial advantage becomes enormous.

Explore career strategies for Europe →

Conclusion

Ultimately, whether it's worth it or not to move to the US as a software engineer will depend on the individual.

Consider the US if:

• You are willing to invest a lot of energy in your tech career—at least for some years
• You want to build up significant savings quickly
• You are young and don't have a family and want the experience

Stay in Europe if:

• You value work-life balance over maximum earnings
• You prefer liveable cities with culture and walkability
• You want job security and social safety nets
• You can achieve your financial goals in Europe (possible at €150k-€250k+ levels)

The good news: Europe offers increasingly competitive opportunities, especially in Zurich, London, and Amsterdam, where senior engineers can earn €200k-€300k while maintaining quality of life that's hard to match in the US.

For many, the optimal path might be 2-4 years in the US to accelerate savings, then return to Europe with financial security and broader experience.

Hope this helps!

Explore high-paying European opportunities →

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Frequently Asked Questions

Is it really worth moving to the US just for higher salary?

It depends on your financial goals and life priorities. If you're targeting FIRE or want to save $300k+ in 3-5 years, the US offers the fastest path. Senior engineers save $150k-$200k/year vs €60k-€100k in Europe. However, if you value work-life balance, healthcare security, and liveable cities, Europe's €150k-€250k salaries still enable great lifestyles with less stress.

How difficult is it to get a US work visa as a European engineer?

Moderately difficult, requiring 3-4 years of planning. Two main paths:

1. H-1B via US education: Study in US → 20-50% lottery odds each year → uncertain
2. L-1 via big tech transfer: Join FAANG in Europe → transfer after 1-2 years → more reliable

L-1 path is recommended as it's more predictable, doesn't require expensive US education, and leads to green card in 2-3 years. See our guide on joining big tech in Europe.

Can I maintain European work-life balance while working in the US?

Possible but challenging. Some strategies:

• Join older, more established companies (not startups)
• Target non-Bay Area locations (Seattle, Austin have slightly better balance)
• Set boundaries early (but may impact promotion speed)
• Join remote-first companies with flexible cultures

Reality: Average US big tech job = 45-50 hours/week vs 40-42 in Europe. Performance pressure is higher. If work-life balance is a top priority, Europe is objectively better.

Should I move to the US early or late in my career?

Early career (20s) is optimal:

• More flexibility (no family commitments)
• Benefit from compounding of higher savings longer
• Easier to adapt to different work culture
• More time to recover if plans change

Mid/late career (30s+) can work but consider:

• Family relocation challenges
• Established European networks lost
• Higher expectations at senior levels
• Less time to benefit before potentially returning

Sweet spot: 2-5 years experience, join as E4/E5 level, stay 3-5 years, return to Europe or stay long-term.

What happens if I get laid off in the US on a work visa?

You have 60 days to find a new job or leave the country (on H-1B or L-1). This creates intense pressure during job search. Options:

• Find new job quickly (networking is critical)
• Switch to B-2 tourist visa (buys ~6 months)
• Return to Europe temporarily while interviewing
• Lose green card application progress if not approved yet

This is a real risk: 2023-2024 tech layoffs affected many visa holders. Have 6-12 months emergency fund and active network before considering US move.

How does the actual quality of life compare beyond just salary?

US Advantages:

• Higher purchasing power for goods/services
• Larger homes, more space
• Better weather (California)
• Cutting-edge tech ecosystem

Europe Advantages:

• Better urban design (walkable cities)
• Public transportation
• 4-6 weeks vacation vs 2-3 weeks
• Universal healthcare (no insurance stress)
• Proximity to diverse countries
• Richer history and culture
• Less gun violence

Verdict: For tech workers specifically, quality of life is subjective. Americans who move to Europe often prefer Europe's lifestyle; Europeans who move to US often prefer higher earnings. Visit both extensively before deciding.

Is there a "best of both worlds" approach?

Yes! The L-1 transfer strategy:

Phase 1 (2-3 years): Join Google/Meta/Amazon/Microsoft in Europe

• Earn €120k-€180k
• Save €50k-€80k/year
• Build performance record

Phase 2 (3-4 years): Transfer to US on L-1 visa

• Earn $350k-$500k
• Save $150k-$250k/year
• Get green card

Phase 3 (flexible): Return to Europe OR stay in US

• With $500k-$800k saved + green card optionality
• Transfer back to Europe with negotiation leverage
• Or continue in US with financial security

This maximizes earnings while minimizing visa risk and keeps options open. Many successful engineers follow exactly this path.

Should I factor in the cost of US healthcare when comparing salaries?

Yes, but the impact is moderate for healthy tech workers. Typical costs:

• Insurance: $0-$500/month (employer covers most)
• Deductible: $1,000-$3,000/year
• Total yearly: $3,000-$8,000 for healthy individual

For families: Add $5,000-$15,000/year

Comparison: Even accounting for $10k-$15k/year healthcare costs, US engineer at $400k saves more than Europe engineer at €220k. Healthcare is a concern, but doesn't negate salary advantage at big tech compensation levels.

Major risk: Serious illness or family health issues can be financially devastating in US despite insurance. Europe provides better healthcare security.