I took a 30% pay cut to move to Spain. I made budgeting mistakes when adjusting to my new salary, but it was worth it.

Damien Monel says he made trade-offs to live the life he wanted. Damien Monel Damien Monel took a 30% pay cut at his Amazon job to transfer from Cork to Madrid. He started spending half his paycheck on rent and made some budgeting mistakes, but has no regrets. Monel has more than doubled his salary since moving to Madrid and says following his gut was the key. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Damien Monel, a 28-year-old recruiter based in Madrid. It's been edited for…