[Tade0]

Eastern European here - it's interesting to read how this looks from the other side.

But yeah, $50k is enough for many to throw work-life balance out the window and at times pull all-nighters - I should know, because just recently I quit a job where that unfortunately was a habit of mine - all for approximately this pay.

I don't think it's sustainable, but younger people increasingly choose this way of life, because it lets them obtain status symbols like a MacBook Pro or a lease for a Mercedes C-Class. Also the overall mindset is that this is how people live and work in Silicon Valley - regardless of whether that's really the case.

But here's the kicker: some in my area are saying that we're in a bubble and developer salaries surely must come crashing down eventually. Others think that our only advantage is low cost.

Personally I share neither of these views. It's all relative and as long as real estate prices in Silicon Valley remain absurd, developers will be compensated generously. Perhaps even after they come down - if they ever do of course.

[ramraj07]

As someone who's heard nothing but good things about Eastern European programming shops, looks like y'all's salaries are only gonna increase. Perhaps you should take some bets on your market with that assumption!

[balfirevic]

> But yeah, $50k is enough for many to throw work-life balance out the window

It should be pointed out whether you mean net (take home) pay or total cost for employer. The latter is usually about twice the former at these salary levels (at least in some parts of Eastern Europe).

[protomolecule]

In Russia a self-employed contractor would only pay 2%-6% in total as taxes depending on where they live.

Of course, for that they will only get minimal pension and standard medical insurance. They have an option of voluntarily contributing additional money to the state pension fund to get increased pension.

[jrochkind1]

In the U.S. too, really. Don't forget health insurance.

[Tade0]

As a self-employed contractor in Poland I can get away with retaining ~75% of the sum of my net invoices(sans sales tax, which is transparent B2B) as take-home pay.

For that I get rudimentary health insurance - only really good enough for a hospital stay free of charge.

The tax rate is a flat 19%, so I would wager that the tax wedge is likely smaller in eastern Europe than in the US.