>If I take the relocation I get an automatic 50% salary cut
It's obvious that cashflow will suffer. The question is whether you will like living in Paris on the money that's left. There is a good chance you would and will also discover where the hidden taxes of living in US were. Or not.
It’s vastly cheaper to live in the US, I talk to my Paris coworkers quite a lot and they pay more for just about everything except maybe childcare.
My health insurance is free in the US, covered by my employer, my tax rate is 35% whereas I would be taxed at 45% in Paris. Gas costs more in Paris, car registration and taxes cost more, just buying a car in the first place costs way more, not to mention the car I own is not even legal there so I’d not even be allowed to do the same types of activities. Forget taking my truck to the lake with the kayaks and forget hauling materials to build my house.
It just doesn’t make sense why any smart, capable person would choose to live in Europe unless they absolutely loved the culture.
It's not just Paris, it's most of Europe. Also Paris has suburbs, and it is reasonable to consider owning a car if living in them. Many of my coworkers commute into the middle of the city from the suburbs on the outskirts.
If I take the relocation I get an automatic 50% salary cut, and my tax bill goes way up. Not to mention VAT and other expenses.
Seems like Europe’s problem with innovation is maybe related.