Currently Miami, 4200 USD/month, 2 bed 2 bath house with nice yard, short walk to the beach

Skills and network

Miami until April and then no clue, but I would very much like for there to be mountains

This is literally how income tax works. It’s tax on income. You can try and advertise it however you want but it’s still income you would otherwise get if the government didn’t take it

Italy is like a poor Spain

You are making the assumption that all of that tax money is being optimally spent to create a better society, which it most certainly is not. So while you’re correct that some of it certainly is, there is definitely wiggle room for criticism, depending on the country.

OP is allowed to have an opinion on his/her situation in life

I make about 20k/month and spend around 5k/month

No idea. Sedona?

You need to specialize in a specific industry, and I’m not talking about a tech field (iOS dev, AI specialist, etc). Use your skills to market yourself. Here is what businesses care about: “I can make you money” and “I can save you money”. I personally have specialized in the refrigeration industry, which is to say temperature control. So thermodynamics, heat transfer, simulations, sensors, etc. No one has ever asked me if I’ve programmed in x or used tool y, they just say they want something and I make it for them.

To do any of this you need skills but you also need to know people. That is actually the most important part.