[mrgangster]

I am a currently employed American software engineer who is interested in relocating to Germany soon, but I'm worried that I won't be able to find a comparable salary there. Currently I earn in the $80-100k range, is it realistic to have a similar compensation in Germany?

[decode]

My experience and knowledge are fairly limited here, as I've only been working in Germany for a year and only in Cologne. However, my impression is that software developer salaries are generally somewhat lower in Germany than in the US. This is particularly true if you're using Silicon Valley or NYC salaries for comparison.

Of course, like anywhere, your salary depends on your experience level, your education level, the responsibilities of your role, and the industry you're working in. As a rough estimate, I would guess that the majority of German software developers fall in the €40k-€65k salary range. My impression is that developers making €75k+ are outliers.

You also have to remember that it's hard to directly compare a German salary to an American salary. Not only is the cost of living potentially different, but the exchange rate has been moving a lot lately. Last March, €65k was $90k. Today it is only $75k.