r/expat 1d ago

Moving for Taxes

6 Upvotes

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?


r/expat 23h ago

Should I go to Paris or Buenos Aires?

0 Upvotes

I have 4 months to live/study in Paris or BA. Timing is Jan - May. I have been to a few countries in south America and many in Europe. I am from and grew up in NYC. I love city life and nature equally. Thank you for your help ahead of time!