Currently in SF. I'm considering FB in London and Google in Zurich. I've heard that London, especially, and also Zurich comp is less than Bay Area, but cost of living is same or higher. Is this true (the cost of living part)? From what I can tell from online comparison sites, etc, COL in London is actually a bit lower than SF even if high in absolute terms. Was this maybe a historically the case but no longer as Bay area has gotten more expensive?
For Google, comp in Zurich is actually higher than in the Bay Area
Enough to make up for (or better) the cost of living?
Not better, but enough I think. Not enough for me for moving to Switzerland.
Can you do an exchange for, say 6 months before making it permanent? Could turn out great but all depends on you and what you prefer. I grew up in Europe but live in US now. I personally wouldn’t move back but then again maybe Bay Area would make me move back. Feel free to dm
My take is that either F or G roles would give me the option to move back to the US in a few years (either internally or through recruiting). In the meantime, might as well explore living abroad before wife, kids, etc. Could ask about an exchange with MPK or MTV but seems easier honestly to take a bit of a leap given that Europe is part of the draw. But don't want to shoot myself in the foot either by not having my financial expectations in the right place.
Yeah I just find that some people absolutely love Europe and others don’t. Living is also different from traveling. I’d go with a temporary move first but maybe I’m not as bold as you.
Consider Uber in Amsterdam, salary after tax is 15 to 20% lower than in SF, but it's more than made up by lower CoL.
Pay is terrible here in the UK, don't make the move. A principal engineer here makes way less than a new grad In SF. Zurich on the other hand very comparable to US wages.
Thanks. I've definitely heard bad things about comp. But how does cost of living compare? E.g. is comp 40% worse but COL 10% better (as some calculators seem to indicate)? Or is COL the same?
Only Google pays in Zurich on US level. Other FANGs either have negligible presence here or mostly sales. Normal companies pay top dollar for Europe, but still nowhere near US levels.