Head-to-head · tax residents 2026
Australia or United States: which should you move to?
Two of Europe's top relocation targets, both with newcomer regimes. Here is how they compare on the taxes that move the needle.
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| Factor |  Australia ↗ |  United States ↗ |
|---|---|---|
| Top personal income tax | 45% | 37% |
| Corporate tax | 30%* | 21%* |
| Capital gains tax | Taxed | Taxed |
| Dividend tax | 45% | 20% |
| VAT / sales tax | 10% | 0% |
| Wealth tax | No | No |
| Inheritance tax | No | Yes |
| Foreign income | Partly exempt | Worldwide |
| Headline expat regime | Temporary resident exemption | None |
| Cost of living (vs your country) | 90 | 100 |
| Population | 27,614,411 | 341,784,857 |
| Area | 7,686,850 km² | 9,629,091 km² |
| Population density | 4/km² | 35/km² |
| Airports (large + medium) | 193 | 917 |
| Annual tourists | 1,828,000 | 45,037,000 |
| Flight time from your country | · | · |
| Direct flight likely? | · | · |
| Life expectancy | 84.1 yrs | 79.5 yrs |
| Safety (homicides/100k) | 0.9 | 5.8 |
| Happiness (0-10) | 7.22 | 6.94 |
| Corruption index (higher = cleaner) | 77/100 | 67/100 |
| Double-tax treaties (approx) | ~45 | ~66 |
| Internet speed (median fixed) | 154 Mbps | 310 Mbps |
| Healthcare spend / person | $6,980 | $13,473 |
| Air quality (PM2.5, lower=better) | 6.41 | 6.97 |
| Time zone (approx) | UTC+10 | UTC-5 |
| Digital nomad visa | Yes | No |
| Official languages | 1 (English) | 1 (Spanish, Hawaiian) |
Green = more favourable. Cost of living shown as a percentage of your home country (under 100% = cheaper than home). Tax data: compiled by us, being re-verified; cost of living: World Bank PPP; area & population: GeoNames; life expectancy & homicide rate: World Bank.
* Australia: 25% base rate for companies with aggregated turnover < AUD 50m and <=80% passive income; 30% otherwise. Full dividend imputation (franking) · United States: Flat 21% federal corporate income tax; states add 0-11.5% on top. No federal branch/alt minimum outside 15% CAMT for large corps.
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