If it’s all about the money, where’s the best expat location?

For expatriate professionals whose pay scale is everything, the driving factor for emigration is the size of the promised pay packet and its attached benefits.

There’s nothing wrong with knowing your own worth to a prospective employer, especially if you’re looking to a medium term contract during which you can save enough to ensure a comfortable retirement. The only issue with this plan is that you may find yourself in a country which doesn’t please you, leaving you wondering whether you should stick to your initial scheme or revise it. Benefit packages should also be taken into consideration, as should career enhancement and tax issues in the chosen location.

One of the world’s highest paying countries for top talent expatriate professionals is, unfortunately given its present condition, the UK. It’s also one of the world’s best countries in which to work, although how long this will continue after October 31 is anyone’s guess. If you’re an innovative scientist, a tech genius or a financial wizard, the UK is for you, at least for now, and you’ll be working at your level of expertise with your equals. Salaries average £310,000 annually including all benefits, and even those who work independently draw around £34,000, higher than the average British wage.

Japan is becoming increasingly popular with the brightest and the best, especially in the engineering, research and entrepreneurial sectors. It’s also one of the most challenging destinations as well as being uniquely fascinating for its traditions and culture. Those taking a company job get amazing packages, and even those working independently can earn £35,000 a year. Asia-Pacific’s most generous expat packages can be found in Australia, but taxes are high and can eat into average salaries of around £51,500.

Every expat knows Switzerland is the hub of massive wages and career opportunities, with financial services the name of the win-win game in this tiny, hugely expensive country. Average packages are around £202,000, and career opportunities are second to none. Hong Kong is another favourite, or at least was until the present protests took it over. No-one really knows what the final result will be, but incomes and employment packages are still generous at around £196,000 for expat managers. Its tax rates are refreshingly low, thus making the most of any disposable income, but it’s again one of the world’s costliest destinations and may not be the safest for expats at the present time.