Depends entirely on your values and perspective

If you're coming from the upper echelons of US income then it might not.

Otherwise you'll potentially find the increase in quality of life to be significant.

Americans work too much, commute to much and don't take enough holidays. Europeans work significantly less hours day to day, have significantly shorter commutes on average and have legally required and protected minimum annual leave that vastly outstrips US workers.

E.g. Take myself and a US friend in a very similar job into account. Yes he earns roughly double what I do.

• However I average 10-15 hours less work a week than he does.
• My commute is half what his is and I have actual public transport options that aren't trash if my car broke down.
• I get 38 days of paid leave a year. 8 national holidays and the time between Christmas and Jan 1st by default.. That leaves me with 27 days to use with some degree of freedom. He's lucky if he takes ten days total per year.
• I get private healthcare but also know that if that was removed from my benefits I'd have access to state healthcare without the risk of bankruptcy.

Those listed things are just employment based. Culture is also a factor. I've never once worried about being shot in my entire life. Our food quality standards are higher whilst also costing significantly less. We don't have the institutionalised national self delusion of tipping culture. Our religious and crazy right wing aren't politically powerful enough to be dragging us kicking and screaming inti the 18th century like the US is. We aren't completely and utterly dependent on cars, so being car free is a viable way to live.

My final note is this. I'm not some US hating zealot. I literally booked flights for a two week holiday in the US yesterday. I adore the NBA and find American people to be absolutely lovely on average. But I couldn't live the way most Americans do.

look at it this way, necessities in USA are largely out of reach (health care, education, housing, funded retirement) and luxaries are easy to come by (phones, sneakers, branded clothing, streaming etc).

Whereas in Europe, the necessities are much more attainable for the population at any income bracket. Do you have much more "free cash"? No. Do you need it? No, you have a social safety net.

Even vacas in Europe are cheaper bc for an American to travel to Europe is very expensive by means of airplane. In Europe you can take a high speed train and be in any climate.

On the topic of trains, Public transit is more efficient there than it is to drive cars in the states. Imagine not having to buy a ~$30k car every 10 years? Not to mention fuel and maintain it.

Without an atom of doubt. I've experienced both, and I will make the choice of paycut again a hundred times if I had to choose again.

I cannot speak to what working in Europe is like, but as someone who works in the public sector in a very blue state, the work/life balance and benefits are unmatched. Yes, the pay is slightly less, but it is more than worth it imo if it means I only have to work 4 days and 35 hours a week, and not 6 days and 70 hours a week.

Coders in the US can make six figures easy. In Spain it's like 20-40k, 60kish un Luxembourg if you're a specialist and got a masters degree, etc. I've looked at the tech jobs in Europe in general and I'm unimpressed.