Top 4 Countries in Europe for Six-Figure Remote Workers
Croatia + Poland + Czechia + Estonia
You can view this article online here
Hi friends,
Here’s a breakdown of
4 top European countries for six-figure remote workers
(let’s say: €100k–€150k per person, or €200k–€300k for a family)
They combine:
Low taxes
Contained costs
High livability
English knowledge
Great services
Each country section in this article will covers:
The main city (or cities)
Quality of life (safety, nature, services)
A tax example for a small business owner (assuming 80% profit margin with a mix of salary and dividends cashouts)
let’s start!
Croatia
EU member since 2013
Euro currency since 2023
Mediterranean lifestyle: warm coastal summers, mild winters, and forested hills inland.
Nature in general
The capital Zagreb has modern hospitals, fast internet, and a very safe urban environment.
Coastal hubs like Split or Dubrovnik have stunning beaches and mountains (though summer tourism hikes prices).
Overall living costs (rent, groceries, dining) are lower than in most Western European cities.
Public healthcare and education are free, private ones are good quality and affordable, keeping living costs low.
Tax (approx. on €100k revenue at 80% profit margin)
[But similar rates at higher revenue amounts]
Corporate tax 10% (for companies under €1M)
Salary tax is 20% up to about €50k, then 30%
Employers pay 16.5% health contributions
Employees 20% pension contributions on salary
Dividends are taxed at 12%
With a typical split of salary and dividends, roughly 25–30% of profit goes to tax.
Meaning…
If you have some life costs that fall into the business costs category, you’re looking at a ~20% total tax rate
Poland
EU member
Currency złoty
Centers on cities like Warsaw (the capital), Kraków, Gdansk and Wrocław.
Warsaw has major airports and co-working spaces with a large expat community.
Rents and living costs are generally lower than in Western Europe (for example, a nice 2–3 BR downtown flat might be ~€1.5–2k/month).
Services (hospitals, supermarkets, transit) are good to very good, and public schools are available and quite good.
The climate is continental (warm summers, cold snowy winters).
The country is quite safe.
Tax (approx. on €100k revenue at 80% profit margin)
[But similar rates at higher revenue amounts]
Small-company CIT 9% (about €7.2k on €80k).
Personal tax is 12% up to PLN120k (≈€26k) and 32% above
Social security: below 10% with a max cap of around 6k euros/year
Dividends to owners carry 19% withholding
As a freelancer, you can opt for 15-20% total tax (flat), including social security
You can learn more in this article.
In practice, with a company and salary/dividend split, roughly 20% of profit goes to tax. Similar rates as a freelancer.
Estonia
EU member
Currency euro
Famous for its digital infrastructure and safety.
Tallinn (capital) blends a medieval old town with modern tech startups; nearly all government services (taxes, business, banking) are online.
English is widely spoken.
Estonia is one of Europe’s safest countries, with clean air and flat, forested terrain.
Internet speeds are extremely fast nationwide.
Costs are moderate – housing is the biggest expense (expect a 2–3 BR Tallinn flat at ~€1.2–1.5k/month).
Residents benefit from streamlined e-government (bills, permits, taxes can all be handled online).
Being in the Baltics is a little bit more at risks of tensions with neighbouring Russia.
Tax (approx. on €100k revenue at 80% profit margin)
[But similar rates at higher revenue amounts]
Estonia taxes only distributed profit.
Company payouts trigger a 20% corporate tax on the net amount (20/80 rule).
So €80k profit paid out becomes €64k after €16k tax.
Personal income tax on salary is flat 20%.
Employers pay 33% social tax on salaries (health and pension);
Employees pay 1.6% unemployment.
Taking profits as dividends yields about a 25% effective tax; taking it all as salary would push the effective rate much higher.
Czechia
EU member
Currency Czech koruna
Features Prague (and Brno) with excellent public transit, historic charm, and very low crime.
Prague offers top-tier healthcare and several international schools (~€10–15k/yr).
Living costs are moderate (expect ~€1.6–2k for a 2–3 BR city flat).
The countryside (mountains, forests) is easily reachable for outdoors.
Residents enjoy reliable public services and a high standard of living.
Tax (approx. on €100k revenue at 80% profit margin)
[But similar rates at higher revenue amounts]
Corporate tax 21%.
Personal tax is 15% on income up to CZK1.68M/yr (€67k) and 23% above.
Mandatory contributions: employee 11.6% of salary, employer 33.8%. (capped)
Dividends are withheld at 15%.
With a typical salary/dividend split, about 25–35% of profit goes to tax.
The data and numbers shared here are just a preliminary step on a more refined research that I'll be carrying out in the coming months and year(s).
Take everything with a grain of salt, and do your own research: especially on tax matters (this article is not tax advice).
The idea is that this article could be an input on some country ideas that I’ve personally researched and that I’ve found interesting. You can take a look at the ones here that you find interesting and let me know what else you find :)
Or maybe you have some other countries that you consider interesting!
Or other parameters that for you are important that I haven’t considered in this article.
Let me know!
This is a broad - and IMO interesting - topic to explore
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