How much do you have to earn to pay for it?
You pay for things out of take-home pay, but your salary is quoted before tax. Enter what you are buying and what you earn to see its pre-tax cost and how long it takes to earn.
Examples
The same small purchase at an example salary in five countries, calculated with this site's tax model.
| Salary | Spend | Pre-tax cost |
|---|---|---|
| $60,000United States | $10 | ≈ $11.90about 25 min of work |
| £40,000United Kingdom | £10 | ≈ £12.40about 39 min of work |
| 60.000 €Germany | 10 € | ≈ 15,70 €about 33 min of work |
| ₩50,000,000South Korea | ₩10,000 | ≈ ₩12,000about 30 min of work |
| ￥5,000,000Japan | ￥1,000 | ≈ ￥1,260about 31 min of work |
Spend amounts are round examples, not price data. United States figures are federal income tax and FICA only, with no state income tax; Germany excludes the solidarity surcharge and church tax.
How the pre-tax cost is worked out
Pre-tax cost = amount spent × gross salary ÷ take-home pay. Take-home pay comes from the same calculation as the salary calculator: income tax, social insurance and pension for the country you choose. Work time = amount spent ÷ take-home pay per hour, assuming 40 hours a week for 52 weeks.
This is an illustrative ratio based on the average share of pay you keep across the year. It is not an extra tax or a real price, and earning that much more would not leave exactly the purchase price after tax, because extra income is taxed at your marginal rate, which is usually higher than your average rate.
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