Hi guys,

Im a Software Engineer from Germany. I've just heard that delevopers are much better paid in the US compared to Europe. In Europe/Germany i would get about 40k a year as Somebody who just finished university(bachelor degree). Can somebody confirm that ? You dont have to Post your exact income :P just Let me know if that's True, because i am Thinking about going to Work in the US in a few Years ..maybe some of you have german Friends in the US it Industry ? :)

Thanks for the answers.

It's all about what city you're in and the job market.

Like an IT job in my home town is $35k to $55k. Meanwhile, travel a few hours up the road and that same job will earn you around $80k, but at a much higher cost of living.

In general your income will be proportional to the cost of living in the area. For example, I work in the Silicon Valley and both my income and rent costs are on the very high end. However anything that isn't affected by your locality (e.g. your savings goals) would get a boost with larger income.

My personal experience as a full stack software engineer in the US is that salaries are a lot higher than the examples you gave for Europe.

In some parts of the us the rent for a one bedroom apartment is $600/mo, in some parts the rent for the same apartment is $3000/mo. Pay varies accordingly.

It also varies highly on how you did in uni and who you know. A well connected grad with a 4.0 gpa would get out making 100k or more, a grad with average connections and a 2.5-3.0 might get out and make half of that or less in the same city.

There are a few hacks to getting ahead in the US that are easier than other countries, stock investing, stock options in start ups, Roth IRAs, living in a duplex and renting out half (aka house hacking), living in a van and using a UPS box that has a suite number but is really a private PO Box as your physical address, but they all require discipline, risk-taking, and work.

Plus they make out like the taxes are lower here but they are just more spread out. There is an income tax, a payroll tax, a social security tax, a Medicare tax (but not for Medicare you can use while working), a a state income tax in most states, then a sales tax, an alcohol tax, cigarette tax, a car tag tax, fishing license tax, hunting license tax, if it moves it’s taxed. But also property is taxed and it doesn’t move. Go figure. Since there is no government insurance and health care prices are high (like it’s not hard to rack up 100k bills high) for some really complex reasons, you have to also get health insurance, which can be up to 1/2 your pay for you, your wife and your kid, and doesn’t pay anything until you spend 5000 out of pocket. So it’s like there is a health care tax but it is super shit quality and is for a private company.

I started with 30k and am now at 60k. So at least for northern Germany, 40k is quite good to start with.

I am going to have a little talk with my boss about a pay increase. I'm living in Stuttgart, Germany where it is not cheap to rent.

On a second thought my 30k back then would be 40k today.
As I quickly felt like I was selling myself out, 40k does not seem like the top notch.

However, you just graduated and getting into working practice might be a more important factor.

You better look for a fun job and less pay then a shitty job with good pay...

As long as you get around and do fun things once in a while that should be fine. And as far as I know most developer jobs allow for it.

@orseji Sounds like I got *really* lucky. Just finished my apprenticeship and now i earn 2500€. Started working straight after middleschool in a small-ish town in Germany.

@ThermalCube that really depends on the costs of living though.

Same as @rsync, be very wary about direct comparison for US vs European salaries. You are mostly comparing apples to oranges.

European countries tend to be more socialized, meaning more public services that you pay indirectly via more taxes. Healthcare is a big one, as a few others already said.

Even with all expenses accounted for, you can probably make more, because software engineering is in a bubble in some parts of the US, but is it worth relocating, going through culture shock and going through the US drawbacks?

Well, that's up to you to decide. My own answer is no, not worth it, but a lot of people think otherwise.

I recently quit studies in Germany and moved to Barcelona. I am only self taught, started learning beginning of the year and I am making 28k per year as full stack

People in US get paid 2x more because they have no public health care, public higher education, public xxx. Basically government doesn't steal 70% of your salary.

Self taught in San Diego I was making 65k a year. Which after tax was about $1800 per paycheck

Thanks for all the answers !
After reading all this i Think Germany isn't that Bad😀 except the Weather..
Somebody Working in a Place where it is always above 20 degree ?☉

@PAKA It isn't 70%. For me its 43%. And I am "upper middle class" with the worst tax class possible.

And that isn't too bad considering that "Breaking Bad" wouldn't happen here as the costs would have been paid by the insurance everybody has...

@Yamakuzure is that really you “effective” tax rate once you factor in all the nickel and dime-ing taxes I mentioned? Sales, state income, car etc.

I rant about things but I will say I love the US!

Tons of natural beauty, an amazing museum system, cheap travel, some amazing communities, college towns, a vast expanse of area you are free to move about.

Most of these negatives you don’t think about daily. If you are in good health then you can just pay the tax for not having insurance like I do and keep your money. If I get sick I just negotiate with local drs or the CVS minute clinic to pay in cash. And some places have very reasonable insurance your rates are just gonna vary drastically.