| Haven't been to San Francisco. So I can only give you my view of Amsterdam. And it's pretty disappointing for software engineers. Basically, web development and mobile are king. And not in the good way. Both startups and bigger companies are focused on it. So if you're not into them, you will have a tough time finding a job. There are some engineering jobs too. But they are usually for support purposes. Banking, automotive, industrial etc. You work on software that supports another product. And you're basically non-essential personnel. The startup scene is not very impressive. A small hub, an accelerator once a year and some meetups (mostly web dev). However, you will find plenty of coworking spaces. And there aren't many software companies either. Amsterdam is a small city. You will easily finish going through all of them in a couple of days. When it comes to expats, Amsterdam is a city of self-employment. You either do some freelancing, work a low-paying job in hospitality or work on your startup. There are some expats with higher paying jobs. But they are the lucky ones. It takes a while until you find something. There are plenty of expats and dutch people looking for a job. And layoffs have become a common occurrence since the crisis finally hit the Netherlands. So trying to find something will be pretty hard. So if you want to move, bring cash. You're going to need it. |
The most objective way to look at this is probably the 30% ruling. 30% of your gross salary is not taxed, and you are taxed as if you had earned 70% of your gross. (To the original poster, you would get this benefit if you are any way experienced.) Local Dutch people obviously don't like this setup (why is he taxed less than me?) and political parties would love to get rid of it (a real vote winner) but the economy needs it as there is a shortage of workers.