Runway calculator · directional, not legal advice
How many extra months of runway does the move buy you?
For the same annual gross income, we compare the effective tax rate and typical cost of living between two countries and show the difference in months of runway per year. All math runs in your browser — no tracking, no server round-trip.
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months/year of runway
| Annual gross | ||
|---|---|---|
| Net income | ||
| Runway per year (months) | ||
| Net difference (per year) | ||
| First-year paperwork costs | ||
| Net year-1 delta (incl. fees) | ||
Reference: tax & cost-of-living baselines
| Country | Effective tax | Monthly CoL | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🇭🇷 Croatia | 23% | €2,100 | Paušalni obrt structure for solo SaaS. Zagreb has a real IT scene. Source: Porezna uprava — income tax · verified 2026-03-01 |
| 🇲🇪 Montenegro | 15% | €1,700 | Lowest headline rate in the region; weakest banking and EU-market access. Source: Tax Administration of Montenegro · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | 42% | €2,800 | Strong market, heavy tax load, rigorous bureaucracy. Blue Card friendly. Source: Federal Ministry of Finance — income tax · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | 28% | €2,200 | NHR replaced by IFICI — narrower scope, still attractive for specific professions. Source: Autoridade Tributária — income tax · verified 2026-02-01 |
| 🇪🇪 Estonia | 20% | €1,900 | e-Residency is NOT tax residency. Corporate structure is elegant; personal side is standard. Source: Estonian Tax and Customs Board · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | 33% | €2,900 | Outside IR35 Ltd company baseline. Inside IR35 pushes effective rate higher. Post-Brexit visa friction for HR. Source: HMRC — income tax rates · verified 2026-02-01 |
| 🇺🇸 United States | 35% | €3,200 | Federal + mid-tier state + self-employment tax blended. CoL is a mid-tier city (Austin / Denver). Varies wildly by state. Source: IRS — tax rates and brackets · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | 42% | €2,700 | ZZP freelancer baseline. Box 1 rates are steep. 30% ruling for recent arrivals not included. Source: Belastingdienst — income tax · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇫🇷 France | 33% | €2,400 | Micro-entrepreneur / auto-entrepreneur baseline. Portage salarial pushes the effective rate higher. Source: Direction générale des Finances publiques — tax rates · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | 24% | €1,700 | B2B contractor with flat PIT + ZUS social/health contributions. IP Box reduced rate not included. Source: Ministry of Finance Poland — PIT · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇨🇿 Czech Republic | 28% | €1,800 | OSVČ sole trader: income tax + social/health on a portion of profit base. Source: Czech Financial Administration — personal tax · verified 2026-01-01 |
| 🇷🇸 Serbia | 20% | €1,400 | Flat PIT + capped contributions. Gaining traction with remote devs. No EU single market. Source: Tax Administration of Serbia — income tax · verified 2026-01-01 |
Rates are single-person blended baselines. Edge cases (reduced rates, special regimes, double-taxation treaties) are intentionally out of scope.