What would I ask for salary if transferred to Paris?

Question

I live in L.A. making ~80,000 USD for a marketing job in the medical field. I am up for transfer to our office in Paris, yet I haven't a clue what the comparible salary would be.

Based only on 80K in L.A., what would be the comparible salary for cost of living/etc for living in Paris?

Answer 1

I'd say you want a similar number of Euros as you're getting in dollars (unless your salary in Paris is tax free or something). You have to remember that the Euro used to equal the dollar just a few years ago so, for instance, if you buy an ice cream cone in Paris it will cost you 2 or 3 Euro like it will cost you 2 or 3 dollars in the states. Or if you go out to eat, a dish will cost 10 to 20 Euros like it would cost you 10 to 20 dollars in the states.

The fact that the Euro is now worth 1.6 dollars doesn't mean that you want less Euros. To accept fewer Euros means that you will find things really expensive in Paris after multiplying everything by 1.6.

Answer 2

The cost of living in LA and Paris are roughly similar. Your $80,000 is about 53,655 euros.

That's just a little less than the basic average earnings of a French physician (about 55,000-60,000 euros).

Some other salary comparisions would be Software developer - 33,206 euros, Mechanical engineer - 32,920 euros, and IT manager - 44,688 euros.

EDIT: I understand what Choco is saying and it seems to me that there are a variety of factors involved.

A typical Parisian lives in an apartment that is miniscule by American standards. The French drive smaller cars, have fewer bathrooms, don't have a TV in every room, and generally have far, far fewer material goods than Americans. A Frenchmen moving to the California to work has to go on a buying spree to equip himself to fit into the LA lifestyle. An American needs to leave half his "stuff" back in the states.

Taxes are horrendus in France. It makes no difference what taxes are called or what they are for...a tax is a tax is a tax...and taxes on your income are very high by American standards.

One tax that Choco didn't mention is the VAT (sales) tax which ranges up to 19.6% as I recall.

Answer 3

I know how it works the other way around. Any French expat I know that was transfered to California had to have their French salary doubled (regardless of exchange rate). So if they made 50,000 € in France they had to earn $100,000 in LA to enjoy the same standard of living. If they had a family to support, they asked for more than that because the cost of raising children in the US is significantly higher than in France.

Are you single or are you moving with spouse and children? Will you get help for housing or not? Do you get commissions in addition to your salary? Other benefits? This will impact the salary you can negociate.

You should also be aware of what will be withdrawn from your gross salary. To get your net salary before income tax, withdraw 21% (lower salaries) to 27% (high salaries, managerial positions) so let's say roughly 25%. That is for social charges. Note that there is an agreement between France and the US for retirement so whatever you pay the French state towards retirement will count towards your US social security (and vice-versa).

Then income tax per se is much lower in France than in the US, at least for employees. On a net before tax ranging between 30,000 € and 55,000 € your income tax will be 8 to 16% of that "net" income if you are single, significantly less if you are married with children or can claim some deductions. The first 3 years of moving to France you will be taxed less than average.

So for a gross between 40,000 € and 60,000 €, withdraw approx. a third of your salary to calculate your net after tax (if you are single).

The best is to find out what your job is called in France and see what the average salary is for that job based on experience and qualifications. My guess is it's about 45,000 € but I could be wrong since I am not sure what your position is exactly.

EDIT: Monthly expenses in Paris for a single person are 400 € to 500 € for groceries, transportation, utilities, etc.

Rent in downtown Paris is 400 € -700 € for a studio, 600 € -1,400 € for a 1BDR and 900 € to 1,800 for a 2BDR. It is expected of the tenant to have monthly earnings 3 times the rent unless your employer is your guarantor (ask them for info on the "1% logement" or "garantie locapass").

2nd EDIT: the only way to really know what you can claim is to ask what the exact title of your position will be called in France. Then you can use the following tool to determine what your income can be, based on your field, job, age, size of the company, etc: http://www.newzy.fr/guide-salaires/

Marketing jobs in the medical field have salaries ranging from 22K to 169K € in France so it depends on a lot of factors that only you can know.