I quit my $80K job in New York to move to Paris and my life is way better

An American expat who made $80,000 in New York City has revealed how moving to Europe gave her a “significantly higher quality of life.”

TikTok user Soldana took to the video-sharing platform to reveal how her lifestyle had drastically improved since moving to Paris.

The singer-songwriter listed a slew of benefits the move brought, including a lower cost of living, more paid vacation days and more opportunities to make friends.

And social media users were quick to praise Soldana for taking the plunge.

In the clip, which has been viewed more than 614,000 times to date, Soldana speaks to the camera as she reveals, “Moving to Europe has given me a significantly higher quality of life.”

She continued, “About three years ago I graduated college and was making about $80,000 base salary in New York City.

“I lived in a four-bedroom apartment in midtown Manhattan that I shared with three other strangers.

“I had the opportunity to move to Paris, which I was very hesitant about at first, because if you know anything about the European labor market, if you compare it to the salaries in New York, the salaries have been cut enormously.

“But I said f*** it and I took the job even though it was a lower salary and it was probably the best decision I ever made.”

Revealing why, Soldana said: ‘The cost of living is much lower in Europe, so despite the lower salary, I was able to move from a shared four-bedroom apartment to my own one-bedroom apartment in the center of Paris.

Plus, the extra paid vacation time is just insane. I went from three weeks of paid leave in New York City to seven weeks of statutory minimum paid leave in Paris.

‘And with the proximity of all other European countries, it’s so easy to take endless weekend trips around Europe at your leisure.

But it didn’t stop there: ‘Even if you’re a foodie and like to eat out – eating out wasn’t an option for me when I just graduated from New York. It was just too expensive, I would limit it to the weekends.

‘But eating out in Paris is something you can afford to do several times a week. On average, a nice meal with your friends will cost you €30 (about $32) including a cocktail.

“And keep in mind there’s no tipping here, so the 20 percent tip asked in the US makes a huge difference to the total price you pay at the end of your meal.”

She concluded her list of observations, saying, “Last but not least, I think it was a lot easier for me as an American to make friends in Paris than it was for me to move to New York from California.

It may sound counterintuitive, but being a foreigner and moving to Europe made it a lot easier to start a conversation and made it easier for me to meet new friends.

“Even as a foreigner, the expat community is so strong and once you’ve infiltrated it, it’s so easy to make friends because you have this point in common.”

She offered some final words of advice, concluding, “So if you’re in doubt, I highly recommend taking the plunge.”

And dozens of social media users flooded the comments with praise for Soldana making the switch before revealing that they, too, were inspired.

One wrote: “You are so lucky! Those opportunities don’t come along very often, so it’s good for you to take the plunge.’

Another added, “Quality of life is so important! Good for you!’

And a third simply said, “This is my sign.”