A salary number only tells you so much. To make the comparison tangible, this runs the equivalent of US$75,000 through six different tax and employee-contribution systems using the assumptions below.
The headline numbers
| Country | Equivalent gross | Take-home | USD equivalent | Effective tax + contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States (federal only) | $75,000 | $61,593 | $61,593 | 17.9% |
| Australia | A$106,199 | A$81,695 | $57,699 | 23.1% |
| United Kingdom ↗ | £55,775 | £42,907 | $57,693 | 23.1% |
| Canada (Ontario) | C$105,089 | C$77,133 | $55,050 | 26.6% |
| New Zealand | NZ$127,786 | NZ$93,503 | $54,867 | 26.8% |
| Ireland | €66,983 | €48,534 | $54,348 | 27.5% |
Life Figured calculator check: the UK figure was rerun through Life Figured's 2026/27 take-home-pay calculator using £55,775, England/Wales/Northern Ireland, no pension and no student loan. It returns £42,906.90, rounded to £42,907 — matching this table. The US federal-only, New Zealand and Australia amounts have also been independently recalculated; Ireland is an illustrative October 2026 PRSI-rate estimate, and Canada remains unverified. Life Figured does not yet have country-specific payroll calculators for these five countries.
2026 verification sources: IRS federal tax bands and standard deduction; New Zealand Inland Revenue ACC levy; Australian 2026/27 tax rates; Irish 2026 PAYE; Irish PRSI rates. The US figure assumes standard deduction, federal income tax and employee Social Security/Medicare contributions only. NZ uses the 2026/27 income tax bands and ACC levy, excluding KiwiSaver and student loans. Australia uses the 2026/27 resident income tax rates and 2% Medicare levy, without Medicare levy surcharge or offsets. Ireland uses 2026 PAYE and USC with the employee PRSI rate effective from 1 October 2026; its full-year actual tax can differ because PRSI changed during 2026. Exchange-rate conversions remain unverified.
Why compare it this way?
The same US$75,000 headline salary can land differently once each country's income tax and mandatory employee-side payroll contributions are applied. The comparison uses market exchange rates from early October 2026 to convert the same gross salary into local currency, then expresses the resulting take-home back in US dollars.
The assumptions
- Single filer, no dependants.
- No voluntary pension, 401(k) or other pre-tax deductions.
- United States: federal income tax + FICA only; state income tax is excluded.
- United Kingdom: England, Wales and Northern Ireland rates; Scotland differs.
- Canada: Ontario used as the representative province.
- Australia: income tax + Medicare levy; employer superannuation is not included in take-home.
- New Zealand: income tax + ACC earner levy.
- Ireland: PAYE + USC + employee PRSI.
The quirk in each system
United States — location can change the result
The federal-only figure is deliberately a best-case baseline. State and local income taxes can reduce take-home materially, while states with no individual income tax leave the federal-only comparison largely intact.
United Kingdom — the higher-rate band matters
At this equivalent salary, part of the income sits in the 40% income-tax band for England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Employee National Insurance is then calculated separately.
Canada — CPP and EI sit alongside income tax
The Ontario example combines federal and provincial income tax with CPP/CPP2 and Employment Insurance, which is why the headline tax brackets alone do not tell the whole story.
Australia — superannuation is outside the take-home figure
Compulsory employer superannuation is real compensation but is paid into retirement savings rather than the employee's bank account, so it is deliberately excluded from this take-home comparison.
New Zealand — no general tax-free threshold
New Zealand generally taxes employment income from the first dollar, with progressive rates and the ACC earner levy included here.
Ireland — several deductions stack together
The Irish example combines PAYE income tax, USC and employee PRSI. Looking only at the headline PAYE bands misses part of the deduction picture.
Want to run your own numbers?
The Life Figured UK take-home calculator lets you change salary, tax region, pension and student-loan assumptions. More country-specific payroll calculators are planned; until they exist, we won't pretend the UK calculator can calculate another country's tax system.
Try the UK take-home calculator →Sources and checking
The comparison was prepared from public 2026 tax-rate sources and exchange rates available in early October 2026. The UK result has also been cross-checked against Life Figured's own calculator. Tax rules and exchange rates change, so treat these figures as dated illustrations rather than personalised estimates.
This article provides general information and illustrative comparisons only. It is not tax, financial, investment or relocation advice. Check the current rules with the relevant tax authority or a qualified professional before making a decision.
