In fact, Switzerland consistently ranks among the countries with the highest salaries, across all 36 professions examined. That’s partly because the cost of living in Switzerland is so high. (Both factors have also contributed to Switzerland’s outlier status as a low-inflation country in Europe this year.) Other top-paying countries include Norway, Iceland, and Japan.

How far will your earnings go in high-paying countries?

Of course, even the highest salaries won’t go far in the world’s most expensive cities. OECD countries with the highest comparative prices include Norway, Switzerland, and Iceland, while those with the best cost of living scores like Turkey, Colombia, and Mexico, according to William Russell’s calculations.

As it turns out, you could earn relatively little as a lawyer in Istanbul—the salary calculator pegs the pay at $5,300 annually in US dollars—but the cost of everyday expenses like rent or healthcare, mean you can stretch your lira further, compared with the US$64,000, you’d make as a lawyer in Reykjavík. (William Russell crunched their numbers in 2021. Glassdoor’s 2022 data shows lawyers make closer to $7,400 per year.)

Then again, Turkey’s baristas make an average $2,600, about half as much as a lawyer in that country. That makes it a better place to pull shots than a pricey country like Switzerland, where baristas make $46,000, or about 34% of an average lawyer there ($135,000).

🖋 Sign up for The Memo from Quartz at Work

A dispatch from the world of modern work. Learn how you can help create a productive, creative, and compassionate work culture.