Salaries by area and country: how to compare offers in the European market
Comparing salaries in Europe just by gross annual value is one of the quickest ways to make a wrong decision. A salary of 55,000 euros in Amsterdam, 45,000 euros in Madrid and 38,000 euros in Lisbon doesn’t say much without taxes, income, benefits, type of contract, city, remote regime and risk of change.
The number that matters is not just “how much they pay”. It’s how much is left, what security the contract provides, what progression there is and what personal cost the change creates.
First compares the number type
In Europe, many companies talk about gross annual salary. Others speak of gross monthly, approximate net salary, day rate or monthly value as a contractor. Mixing these formats distorts everything.
Use this order:
| Number | What it shows | What hides |
|---|---|---|
| Annual gross | Main reference in local contracts | Taxes, contributions and benefits |
| Monthly net | What goes into the account | Subsidies, bonuses, tax variations and deductions |
| Total cost to the company | How much does the company spend on you | It is not equivalent to your salary |
| Contractor value | Revenue before costs | Taxes, vacations, sick leave, insurance, accounting and months without a project |
| Day rate | Value per day billed | Non-billable days, vacations and stability |
Eurostat publishes data on wages, labor costs and net earnings. For context, in 2024 the full-time adjusted annual average in the EU was €39,800, with large differences between countries: Luxembourg, Denmark and Ireland were at the top; Bulgaria, Greece and Hungary at the bottom of the table. In 2025, Eurostat estimated average hourly labor costs of €34.9 in the EU, but these ranged from €12.0 in Bulgaria to €56.8 in Luxembourg. These values are not a table of offers per position; serve as a reminder that “Europe” is not a single salary market.
Use a short table per country before trading
Before saying that an offer is good or bad, fill in a simple table. You don’t need perfect tax accuracy at this stage. You need to avoid false comparisons.
| Country/cidade | Annual gross | Estimated net | Probable income | Benefits | Risk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lisbon | 38,000 | calculate | high for local salary | insurance, subsidy, hybrid | minor change if you already live in Portugal |
| Madrid | 45,000 | calculate | medium/alto | variable per company | language and local contract |
| Berlin | 58,000 | calculate | loud and competitive | health/social strong | bureaucracy, looking for a house |
| Amsterdam | 62,000 | calculate | very high | possible relocation support | housing and fixed cost |
| Dublin | 65,000 | calculate | very high | tech/benefstrong ties | income and competition |
The common mistake is to compare only the “annual gross” column. The real decision is usually in the “net”, “income” and “risk” columns.
To make your account more securely:
- uses a local tax calculator to estimate net;
- research income in realistic neighborhoods, not just in the center;
- confirms whether the salary is paid in 12, 13 or 14 months;
- separates guaranteed bonuses from variable bonuses;
- ask if there is relocation support, health insurance, food allowance, transport, training and equipment;
- calculate how much you need to save, not just to survive.
If you don’t have a proposal yet, define three numbers: minimum acceptable, realistic target and strong value to negotiate.
Salaries by area: the position matters less than the context
Generic salary tables help little when they ignore seniority, type of company and proximity to revenue or risk.
In technology, data, product and cybersecurity, salaries tend to be stronger in markets with many international companies, such as Ireland, the Netherlands, Germany, the Nordics, Switzerland and the United Kingdom. But “working in technology” is not enough. A senior developer with cloud, architecture and impact on an international product negotiates differently than a junior profile focused only on a framework. A data analyst who only creates dashboards has a reference; an analytics engineer who improves business decisions has another.
In marketing, sales, customer success and operations, language and business impact matter a lot. German for DACH markets, French for Belgian France/B, Dutch for the Netherlands, and Nordic languages can increase value when linked to revenue, specialized support, or local expansion. In sales, look at base, commission, quota, territory and sales cycle. In customer success, look at portfolio, churn, type of customer and autonomy. In operations, it looks at scale, processes, teams involved and proximity to the decision.
In healthcare, engineering, construction, energy and logistics, demand can be strong, but there are barriers that change the real salary: certification, local language, shifts, recognition of qualifications, location and physical conditions of the job. The EURES report on shortages and surpluses shows recurring shortages in professions such as nursing, welding, electricity, construction, cooking and transport, but a profession in shortage does not automatically mean a high salary in any country.
Contractor can pay more and still be worth less
Many remote offers for Europe appear as a contractor. The monthly fee may seem high because it doesn’t include protections that a local contract would normally have.
Before accepting, transform the value into a real annual equivalent:
- Multiply the monthly amount by 10 or 10.5 months, not by 12, if you want to simulate holidays, breaks and periods without billing.
- Deducts taxes, contributions, accounting, insurance, equipment and training.
- Reserve a margin for sick leave, late payment and sudden end of contract.
- Compare with the package of a local contract: holidays, allowances, notice, labor protection, insurance, pension and benefits.
If the company requires exclusivity, fixed hours, direct subordination and daily presence at meetings, but offers a contractor, this deserves local analysis. It may be common in some areas, but you should not treat it as if it were the same risk as an employment contract.
To deepen this point, also read Remote work in Europe: rights, contracts and what to know before signing and How to negotiate salary without losing the offer.
Questions that reveal the real package
Use these questions before negotiating or accepting:
- Is the salary reported annual gross, monthly gross, estimated net or contractor value?
- Is the payment in 12, 13 or 14 months?
- Are there bonuses? Is it guaranteed, discretionary or linked to goals?
- What benefits have real financial value: health, pension, food, transport, training, shares, stock options, relocation?
- Is the contract local, via Employer of Record, contractor or internal transfer?
- Remote work is allowed from which countries?
- Is there an annual salary review? With what criteria?
- What is the salary range for the role and where does this offer fall within the range?
- What costs will I have to change country in the first six months?
A good proposal must survive these questions. If the company cannot explain the package, the problem is not your insistence; it is a lack of clarity in the offer.
How to decide between two offers
Creates a simple score from 1 to 5 for each dimension:
| Criterion | Weight | How to evaluate |
|---|---|---|
| Net after fixed costs | 3 | How much is left per month without sacrificing financial health |
| Progression | 2 | Learning, seniority, promotion and internal mobility |
| Contract security | 2 | Type of contract, prior notice, stability and protection |
| Futures market | 2 | If experience improves your next step |
| Quality of life | 2 | Schedule, travel, remote, city and routine |
| Risk of change | 1 | Visa, language, housing, family and bureaucracy |
An offer with a higher salary may be lost if it requires a very expensive city, little security and poor progression. A lower offer may win if it reduces risk, provides relevant European experience and leaves room for negotiation after 12 months.
Salary is a financial decision, but it is also a career decision. The best number is the one that makes sense within your plan, not the one that seems bigger in a conversation.
Useful sources to validate numbers
Uses different fonts for different questions:
- Eurostat: wages and labor costs for macro context and net earnings.
- Eurostat: hourly labor costs in 2025 for differences between countries.
- OECD: tax wedge to understand the weight of taxes and contributions at work.
- EURES: shortages and surpluses in the European market to validate demand for occupation.
- National tax calculators to estimate net in specific country.
No source replaces a concrete proposal. But using data reduces the risk of accepting an offer just because the raw number seems big.