[radicalbyte]

Move to The Netherlands, you'll earn anywhere between 50-100k depending on your exact skillset. Importantly we have a special ruling (the 30% rule) which means that you get 5 years paying basically no tax.

Housing is expensive - I watched Louis Rossman's videos a couple of years ago when he was looking for property around NYC and was shocked at the relatively low prices ($500k for large detached houses within 30-45mins commute of a major city at a time when it'd cost $700k for something similar here).

It took me a year to get to C1 level in Dutch when I came over 20 years ago but many people don't bother. You need that to get citizenship (after 5 years of residency) so I would recommend it. Cost me $3k at a Uni fast track (3 x 2 hour a week for a year) to do, most employers will be flexible to enable you to do it.

[throaway-1931]

Where can you find large detached houses for 500k in the Netherlands?

Also, 30% ruling doesn't mean paying 0 tax (https://thetax.nl) and it's not guaranteed. The government decided that 8 years was too much and decided to lower it for people already in the country. I know it well, it happened to me.

[radicalbyte]

This was right in the COVID house price dip (we sold our house then, cost us about 50k). Those houses are now worth 700-800k.

The ruling applies for 5 years so of course you can't expect it for 8 years in a row.

I know a few people who have used it. If you own a house and have any entitlements then you're either paying a few EUR or are getting back a few EUR (so NET INCOME is higher than your GROSS INCOME).

I personally didn't use it because I believe in paying my fair share. As a high earner it's wrong to be a leech. Although I've since learned that the multi-billionaire families here have an even better deal (1% effective tax rate) that I've since changed my mind.

It is an extremely generous ruling which makes it possible for people who wish to migrate here with families to make the jump. You get to keep almost all of your money for a few years but are expected to use it to integrate and cover your migration costs (which it does).

[throaway-1931]

The 30% ruling (now 27% ruling) used to be 10 years, it was lowered down to 8 years, and then it was lowered even further to 5 years, affecting retroactively people that arrived at the time it was 8 years (like myself).

The ruling, in its current implementation, gives foreigners 27% of their salary tax free, which for highest tax interval is close to 50. There is a maximum you can apply to though.

When you own a house you get a tax deduction from the interests you pay for the mortgage. For what I understand, that tax deduction is limited by your taxable salary, so I don't understand how the 27% ruling can be abused, since that reduces your taxable salary. I wouldn't be surprised though, the Netherlands have a ton of "optional" laws and tricks that allow people to "legally" evade taxes.

There is a common misconception that populist politicians exploit where they claim that the ruling is a subsidies for employees. This is not true, it helps the IT sector to hire people from abroad on the cheap side. eg. the only reason I'm here and not in Ireland is because of the ruling: The base salary in Ireland was way higher, but in NL with the ruling it was basically the same. After I arrived I noticed that I was lowballed hard compared to my native colleagues, and that continued on other job offers after I shared with them I was still in the ruling.

Finally, I would really think twice coming to the Netherlands today considering the ruling, with the current government it's definitively not guaranteed [1]

[1] https://www.dutchnews.nl/2025/02/omtzigt-takes-aim-at-expat-...