Brief summary. Taxes in the US are generally lower. In some European countries they are higher but you have a lot of bang for the buck. You usually benefit if you are married with kids though.... For someone married with 2 or 3 kids, the 1/2 salary in Europe gives you better life quality, not only in terms of free quality education, health care, but also in terms of paid vacations. Countries like France only work 35h/week and it's forbidden to check your work email from home :)