If you're OK with locking up your money for 30+ years, sure.
> no property taxes in the UK
That's a bug, not a feature. There's little incentive for people to downsize, which leads to suboptimal use of resources on a societal level. Even if you leave the question of fairness aside ("eight of England's 10 cheapest areas for council tax are in the capital including Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Southwark, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets"), this leads to higher property prices, which negatively impacts you as a first-time buyer.
> I'm looking at $1.8m-2m minimum in SF
You don't have to retire in the Bay Area.
> Most startups in the UK are offering EMI share options
Most startups in the UK pay poorly, so I'm not sure this is a good point. Thanks for letting me know about EMI share options though, I didn't know that!
> you can draw nearly 97.5k in income and pay only 3750 in tax
> If you're OK with locking up your money for 30+ years, sure.
55 isn't 30+ years away for me.
> this leads to higher property prices, which negatively impacts you as a first-time buyer.
And yet it still looks more affordable than SF.
> You don't have to retire in the Bay Area.
In which case, I have to account for housing expenses when looking at the salary in real terms, and deal with all of the problems related to rent i.e. rising costs, being kicked out, not worth investing in improving the property (from a quality of life perspective, not ROI).
> Most startups in the UK pay poorly, so I'm not sure this is a good point.
The one I am working at currently doesn't pay poorly. It's not my top SF salary but it's better than what I started on in SF. It's not FAANG.
> You can top that.
I just meant for an average person with a typical diversified investment portfolio and private pension, and in a way that you can actually plan for (private residence relief is not something that you could have reasonably planned for at the time of buying the house).
If you're OK with locking up your money for 30+ years, sure.
> no property taxes in the UK
That's a bug, not a feature. There's little incentive for people to downsize, which leads to suboptimal use of resources on a societal level. Even if you leave the question of fairness aside ("eight of England's 10 cheapest areas for council tax are in the capital including Kensington & Chelsea, Hammersmith & Fulham, Southwark, Lambeth and Tower Hamlets"), this leads to higher property prices, which negatively impacts you as a first-time buyer.
> I'm looking at $1.8m-2m minimum in SF
You don't have to retire in the Bay Area.
> Most startups in the UK are offering EMI share options
Most startups in the UK pay poorly, so I'm not sure this is a good point. Thanks for letting me know about EMI share options though, I didn't know that!
> you can draw nearly 97.5k in income and pay only 3750 in tax
You can top that. People who have bought property in London 15+ years ago can easily realize a profit of £500-1500k, all tax free -- https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/private-residence... .