Why the same take-home figure means different things
Our calculator models income tax plus mandatory employee social contributions — the deductions that come off a payslip. What it can't show you is what those deductions buy, and that varies more than the tax rates do.
In Germany, a named Health insurance line takes roughly 8% of gross and you are covered. In Dubai, nothing is deducted — and no public system exists for expatriate residents. In Zurich the deductions fund pensions and unemployment but explicitly not healthcare, which you buy separately for CHF 300–500 a month. Three very different realities behind three similar-looking take-home numbers.
All 42 regions: is healthcare in the payslip?
| Country / region | Healthcare funded by deductions? | What you pay on top |
|---|---|---|
| 🇧🇭 Bahrain | No | Employer or private policy |
| 🇦🇪 Dubai | No | Employer or private policy |
| 🇶🇦 Qatar | No | Employer or private policy |
| 🇸🇦 Saudi Arabia | No | Employer or private policy |
| 🇭🇰 Hong Kong | Not for expats | Private / employer policy |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | No — bought separately | ~€140–160/mo, mandatory |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | Not for expats | Private / employer policy |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | No — bought separately | ~CHF 300–500/mo, mandatory |
| 🇺🇸 California | Medicare tax only (age 65+) | Employer plan or ACA premium |
| 🇺🇸 Florida | Medicare tax only (age 65+) | Employer plan or ACA premium |
| 🇺🇸 Illinois | Medicare tax only (age 65+) | Employer plan or ACA premium |
| 🇺🇸 New York | Medicare tax only (age 65+) | Employer plan or ACA premium |
| 🇺🇸 Texas | Medicare tax only (age 65+) | Employer plan or ACA premium |
| 🇺🇸 the United States | Medicare tax only (age 65+) | Employer plan or ACA premium |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | Yes — Medicare levy | Included in the figures above |
| 🇦🇹 Austria | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇧🇪 Belgium | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇧🇷 Brazil | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | Yes — Ontario Health Premium | Included in the figures above |
| 🇨🇳 China | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇩🇰 Denmark | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇫🇮 Finland | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇫🇷 France | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | Yes — Health insurance | Included in the figures above |
| 🇮🇳 India | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇮🇱 Israel | Yes — National Insurance + Health | Included in the figures above |
| 🇮🇹 Italy | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇯🇵 Japan | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇱🇺 Luxembourg | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇲🇾 Malaysia | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇲🇽 Mexico | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇳🇿 New Zealand | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇳🇴 Norway | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇵🇱 Poland | Yes — Health insurance | Included in the figures above |
| 🇵🇹 Portugal | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇿🇦 South Africa | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇰🇷 South Korea | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇸🇪 Sweden | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇹🇭 Thailand | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | Yes — via social contributions | Included in the figures above |
Sorted worst-covered first. Costs are indicative adult premiums, not quotes. Sub-national assumptions and the full exclusion list are in the methodology.
Cover for the in-between
Every relocation has a stretch where nobody is covering you — you have left one country's health system and not yet registered in the next. It routinely runs weeks, sometimes months, and it is the single most overlooked cost of moving abroad.
SafetyWing's Nomad Insurance is built for exactly that situation: you can start it after you've already left, it runs as a monthly subscription rather than a fixed trip, and it covers emergency and accident care across 185+ countries from around $56 per 4 weeks. Their Complete plan (from about $161 a month) adds routine and dental care for people living abroad long-term.
Read this bit: it is travel-medical cover, not a replacement for statutory insurance where a country legally requires it — Switzerland, the Netherlands and Germany all mandate compliant local policies. Treat it as cover for the gap, or for life outside any national system. We earn a commission if you sign up through this link; it doesn't change what you pay, and it doesn't affect any figure on this site.
Health cover and your payslip — FAQ
Does my salary in the Gulf include health insurance?
No. Dubai, Saudi Arabia and Qatar deduct nothing from expatriate salaries — no income tax and no social contributions — and there is no public health system for expatriate residents. Employers are generally required to provide a policy, but that cover ends when the job does, so freelancers, contractors and anyone between roles arranges their own.
Which countries make you buy health insurance separately?
Switzerland and the Netherlands are the clearest cases: health insurance is legally mandatory in both, but it is bought from a private insurer rather than deducted from your payslip — roughly CHF 300–500 a month in Switzerland and €140–160 a month in the Netherlands. Neither is included in our take-home figures, so budget it on top.
Does the US Medicare tax pay for my health insurance?
No — and this is the most commonly misread line on an American payslip. Medicare tax funds coverage from age 65. Working-age Americans are insured through an employer plan or the ACA marketplace, paid on top of the deductions we model. It is one of the largest costs our figures exclude.
Why doesn't the calculator include health insurance?
Because it models the payslip: income tax and mandatory employee social contributions. Where healthcare is funded by those contributions it is already inside the number. Where it is bought separately — or not available at all — the cost sits outside the payslip and varies by age, insurer and family size, so including a single figure would be misleading. This page exists so the gap is visible instead of hidden.