[clubm8]

>For most people, it would be a steep pay cut to move from the US to anywhere in the EU.

You get bit at both ends - you had to pay for an American college degree ($$$) and had none of the social services like unemployment benefits/worker protections someone in the EU gets... then when you finally are making a high wage, you're going to get taxed to high heaven to pay for services you had to pay for (like the expensive degree I just mentioned).

Sadly, the best move looks to be to be frugal in the USA then retire early elsewhere.