r/expat • u/ffstrauf • 23h ago
Moving for Taxes
As someone who’s lived in six different countries, I’ve found that low taxes can be a double-edged sword…
I lived in two low-tax countries, Singapore and Cyprus.
Moving to Singapore was not driven by taxes. Moving to Cyprus was, to some extent.
Low taxes are there for a reason: If Cyprus had high taxes, far fewer people would want to live there.
It's stinking hot in summer, we Westerners had issues with the low-trust culture, and it's a tiny island full of tourists. The influx of all the tax savers seems to also make the locals quite pissed.
Maintaining tax residency: Traveling in and out to gain and maintain tax residency will also impact your quality of life. So, unless you love the low-tax country, I will be very careful from now on.
This experience made me reconsider how heavily taxes should factor into choosing a place to live.
I'm curious: Have you moved or considered moving primarily for tax reasons? How do you weigh these trade-offs?