I'm sure that number has gone up over the last few years but I absolutely do not believe anyone is paying 100k for child care. Like maybe, maybe the highest-end of high end daycares around SF, NYC, DC, etc. would be clocking at at 60k, and for multiple kids.
That is 96k a year.
What? Anyone can do so if they wanted. There are plenty of people with 3+ kids in america.
> but not an issue for Europe.
And yet much of europe has a lower fertility rate.
> Remember that it is 50 to 100k in after expenses
What are you spending 50 to 100k on?
OP says 50 to 100k, so probably they live in high cost of living area.
I have many European friends here who say they won't go back to Europe (Germany, England, Belgium) because of the costs of owning a house and having a family.
Software Engineer salaries range from middle to upper class in US terms. While it's not necessarily easy to have kids in the low end of the range, I'd say it's not too hard either and I know many people who do it (outside California).
But hey, for those who think and keep repeating in public that the US is a crime-ridden wasteland where you have no healthcare, no work life-balance and can't have kids: just don't come here, problem solved!
No kids, USA hands down. One kid, comparable. Two kids, Europe looks better but USA is still possible. Three kids, you need free childcare somewhere to make it work.
Remember that it is 50 to 100k in after expenses, so at highest tax bracket you need to make almost double that to pay for childcare.
Finally, work culture in Europe is way more relaxed and stable, so you won’t have to worry about missing out on your children’s lives because of work.