|
Background on me: I am French, I've been living in the Bay Area for the past 14 years, a 2-year old and another on the way, we are recent home owners and grandma lives and helps us every day. California is expensive. The Bay Area where you'd find high paying jobs is even more expensive. Rent is expensive, home ownership is nearly inaccessible, cost of daycare and healthcare is high, great schools are expensive and taxes are high. I didn't do the exact math but to give you a ballpark, for us to live well, eat well, save for the future and travel (ski trips or visit family in France), we'd need to earn a combined yearly salary of over $300,000. I think for a household with 2 parents working as SWE it's doable. That said, based on seniority, your household could probably reach over $200,000 working from Bavaria. I frequently think about going back but our decision is mostly a factor of the kids growing up around family, in an environment that's empowering them and with great weather. Rain and green pasture sure is pretty but I prefer the sun. |
My impression is that it’s around 50k. That’s what, for example, car companies or top R & D places pay the best graduates from TUM (I am talking about PhDs with years of experience in advanced engineering).
But OP should also consider health care costs. You still pay 800-900 Euro in Germany (450 paid out of salary and an equivalent amount by the employer, which is essentially taken from salary), and with that you get excellent health care for a single person in US, but things change if you are unemployed. Overall, German health care system is better.