MoneyToolsGlobal Study · July 2026
Global Take-Home Pay Index 2026: Where a $100,000 Salary Keeps Its Value
We ran the same three salaries — $60,000, $100,000, and $150,000, converted to local currency — through the 2026 tax and social security systems of all 20 cities we cover. The result is a single number per city: the percentage of gross salary a single employee actually keeps.
Key findings
- Dubai leads the 2026 index: a $100,000-equivalent salary keeps 100.0% after tax and social contributions.
- Lisbon sits at the bottom: the same salary keeps just 60.2% — a gap of 40 percentage points, worth roughly $40,000 per year.
- Rankings shift with income: cities with flat or capped social contributions climb the table at $150,000, while steeply progressive systems fall.
- Keep-rate is not cost of living: several top-ranked cities are also the most expensive places to live. Pair this index with our purchasing power tool before drawing relocation conclusions.
Take-home percentage of a $100,000 salary, 2026
Net pay as % of gross after income tax and employee social contributions.
The full 2026 ranking, three income levels
| # | City | Keep at $60k | Keep at $100k | Keep at $150k | Net at $100k (local) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Dubai | 100.0% | 100.0% | 100.0% | AED 367,000 |
| 2 |  Miami | 84.7% | 80.4% | 77.4% | $80,419 |
| 3 | Austin | 84.7% | 80.4% | 77.4% | $80,419 |
| 4 | Seattle | 84.7% | 80.4% | 77.4% | $80,419 |
| 5 | New York | 82.3% | 78.7% | 75.2% | $78,669 |
| 6 |  Zurich | 77.9% | 77.9% | 77.9% | CHF 68'539 |
| 7 | San Francisco | 80.5% | 77.0% | 73.7% | $76,994 |
| 8 | Chicago | 80.3% | 76.6% | 73.6% | $76,558 |
| 9 |  Singapore | 77.2% | 74.5% | 72.0% | $99,770 |
| 10 |  London | 78.9% | 74.3% | 67.9% | £58,690 |
| 11 |  Sydney | 79.2% | 74.0% | 69.4% | $113,200 |
| 12 |  Vancouver | 78.6% | 73.7% | 68.1% | $100,236 |
| 13 | Toronto | 78.5% | 73.0% | 66.4% | $99,299 |
| 14 |  Dublin | 74.8% | 67.9% | 64.5% | €62,487 |
| 15 |  Berlin | 69.0% | 65.7% | 60.1% | 60.409 € |
| 16 |  Paris | 72.6% | 65.4% | 60.7% | 60 179 € |
| 17 |  Madrid | 68.1% | 62.4% | 58.8% | 57.385 € |
| 18 | Barcelona | 67.3% | 61.6% | 58.0% | 56.666 € |
| 19 |  Amsterdam | 63.7% | 61.2% | 57.7% | € 56.332 |
| 20 |  Lisbon | 67.5% | 60.2% | 55.7% | 55 396 € |
Methodology
For each city we converted $60,000, $100,000, and $150,000 to local currency at fixed mid-2026 reference rates, then calculated net pay with the same engines that power every calculator on this site: 2025/26 progressive income tax brackets, mandatory employee social security contributions, and standard deductions for a single employee on a standard employment contract, as published by each national tax authority (IRS, HMRC, IRAS, ATO, CRA, Belastingdienst, and others — see our sources).
The index deliberately excludes employer-side contributions, benefits in kind, regional tax elections, and expat regimes such as Portugal's IFICI, Spain's Beckham Law, or the Dutch 30% ruling — those can dramatically improve individual outcomes and are covered by our Nomad Tax Calculator. It also measures tax alone, not cost of living: keeping 95% of a salary means little if rent absorbs the difference.
This study is updated annually. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite it with attribution and a link; for questions or the underlying figures, contact us.