Software engineer salary in Germany

Bhargavee Sisodia

24 May 2024

What salary can you expect as a software engineer in Germany?

Germany is among the countries with low unemployment rates. The unemployment rate is only 3.1% according to the Statistisches Bundesamt (Destatis). This explains that Germany has a dependable economy when it comes to job opportunities availability. As a software engineer in Germany, one of the most important things to land an excellent software engineer salary job is that you should be well-aware with remuneration information. This clear aspect will not only help you with salary negotiations for your wage, but also will give you a view to how your career growth curve will look like. 

If you are interested in becoming a software engineer in Germany, there are numerous reasons why you'll adore the country. The country is also home to manufacturing behemoths like Bosch, Mercedes-Benz, and Airbus, as well as software multinational corporations (MNCs) like SAP, Luxoft, and Zalando. The job market in Germany is competitive, and finding a software engineering job depends on where you are in your coding path, such as your experience and skill level.

Work culture in Germany is very encouraging and supports work-life balance, and the country has many multinational companies which give out lots of job opportunities. One highlighting thing about this country is that Germany's social security system can also help you if you lose your work, offering you the opportunity to learn new skills for free. 

However, if you are not an EU citizen and want to work in Germany, you will have to go through a lot of paperwork. In addition, the taxes may be higher than in other countries.

The average annual income for a software engineer in Germany is €62,000 (55,24,324 INR). The typical annual income for a software engineer in Germany is €66,000. The expected additional software engineer salary in Germany is €4,000 (3,56,981.31 INR) per year. Bonuses, commissions, tips, and profit sharing are all forms of additional compensation. According to the report, a software engineer's income potential will likely improve by 18% over the next five years. Before making a decision, you should be aware of the facts. This post will provide you with all of the information you need to know about the software engineer salary in Germany depending on company, experience, skill set, and region.

Knowing pay ranges helps you select your professional path and even which places you can relocate to, boosting your chances of earning more money.  A software engineer's compensation will vary based on their experience level, skill set, work function, region, company, and interpersonal abilities.

You can also read related article: High Demand Jobs in UK for Indians

Software Engineer Salary in Germany based on Experience

The expected salary range for junior to senior developers is between €55,500 (49,53,115.63 INR) and €80,776 (72,08,880). We've included the median and average wage, as well as the additional pay for various levels of experienced software engineers: 

• Entry-level: A software engineer with less than one year of experience can expect to earn €55,500 (49,53,115.63 INR) per year. The average wage will be €52,000 (46,40,756 INR) per year, with an additional €3,500 per year.  
• Junior level: A junior software engineer with one to three years of experience earns a total yearly pay of €60,900. The average yearly income will be €57,000, with an additional compensation of €3,900.
• Mid-level: A mid-level software engineer with four to nine years of experience earns €67,650 a year. These engineers will earn an average salary of €64,000 per year, plus an additional €3,650 each year. 
• Senior Level: In Germany, the annual compensation for a senior software engineer is €75,000. The senior level experience ranges from ten to fourteen years. The average annual income for a senior software engineer is €70,000, with an additional €5,000 each year. 
• Experienced: Software engineers with 15 or more years of experience will earn €80,776 per year, while the average pay will be €74,026. The increased remuneration will be €6,750 annually.

Software Engineer Skills with Salary

If you want to work in software development, you should learn the in-demand skills that top companies in Germany anticipate. The most popular software engineer skills with salary, the average salaries are shown below: 

1. C++ - €57,822 (51,60,343.28 INR) annually. 
2. C#.NET - €58,000 (51,76,228.95INR) per year 
3. Java - €56,173 (50,13,177.73 INR) per year. 
4. Java script costs- €53,767 (47,98,453.48 INR) per year. 
5. Python - €55,069 (49,14,650.89INR) per year. 
6. SQL - €54,556 (48,68,868INR) per year. 
7. DevOps: €64,000 (57,11,700INR) per year.

Top Employers Hiring Software Engineers in Germany

Software Engineer Related Job Role & its Salaries

Top companies for software engineers in Germany

Individual preferences, work-life balance, remuneration, bonuses and benefits, work-from-home alternatives, and pet-friendliness may all contribute to varied perspectives on what defines "top companies". In this section, we look at company size and kind, financials, average software engineer compensation, and perks and benefits to determine the best software companies for engineers in Germany. 

These parts will be based on information from Crunchbase and Glassdoor. 

SAP 

• Summary: enterprise application software 
• Headquarters: Walldorf, Baden-Württemberg, Germany 
• No. of employees: 10.000 +  
• Type: Public company 
• Financials: $1.3B in funding, $10+ billion (USD) revenue 
• Glassdoor review rating: 4.6 stars 
• Average software engineer salary: €61K – €71K/yr 
• Perks/Benefits: home office setup support, meal allowance, training

Siemens

• Summary: industrial solutions, supply chains, smart buildings, sustainable transportation, advanced healthcare
• Headquarters: Munich, Bayern, Germany
• No. of employees: over 10.000
• Type: public company
• Financials: $5.2B in funding
• Glassdoor review rating: 4.1 stars
• Average software engineer salary: €61K – €77K per year
• Perks/Benefits: flexible working hours, employer-funded pension, training

Delivery Hero

• Summary: online delivery – prepared meals, flowers, medicine, and groceries
• Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
• No. of employees: 10.000+ 
• Type: public company
• Financials: $9.9B funding
• Glassdoor review rating: 3.9 stars
• Average software engineer salary: €83K – €100K/yr
• Perks/Benefits: vacation and paid time off, work-from-home options, maternity and paternity leave

Zalando

• Summary: Fashion and lifestyle online platform
• Headquarters: Berlin, Germany
• No. of employees: 10.000+
• Type: public company
• Financials: €467.7M in funding
• Glassdoor review rating: 3.7 stars
• Average software engineer salary: €70,014 per year
• Perks/Benefits: maternity and paternity leave

TeamViewer

• Summary: Connectivity platform for remotely accessing, managing, repairing, controlling, and monitoring devices
• Headquarters: Göppingen, Baden-Württemberg, Germany
• No. of employees: 500–1.000
• Type: public company
• Financials: N/A
• Glassdoor review rating: 3.5 stars
• Average software engineer salary: €57K – €79K/yr
• Perks/Benefits: vacation and paid time off, and flexible working hours

Luxoft

• Summary: enhanced analytics and software engineering for enterprises
• Headquarters: Zug, Switzerland
• No. of employees: 5.000–10.000
• Type: public company
• Financials: $102.4M in funding
• Glassdoor review rating: 3.8 stars
• Average software engineer salary: €61K – €73K/yr
• Perks/Benefits: flexible working hours, home office set-up support, training

Average software engineer salary by location, German city

Knowing the average software engineer salary by location in Germany enables you to live in one city while working for another. This is particularly true when working remotely. Quality of life, cost of living, internet speeds, the tech ecosystem, startup culture, tech hubs, coworking spaces, and prospective wage growth may all influence your decision to live in one location or another.  

In this section, we look at average software engineer salary by location:

Berlin

According to Mercer's 2023 cost of living assessment, Berlin is the 37th most expensive city in the world. According to Glassdoor, the typical compensation for a software engineer in Berlin is €71,500 per year, with estimated supplementary perks ranging from €1,200 to €6,500.  A senior engineer makes an average of €80,000 per year. You are likely to receive additional bonuses totaling €8,000. You could also receive stock options.  Junior engineers make an average of €47,791 per year.  

Hamburg

According to Glassdoor, average software engineering wages in Hamburg are often lower than those in Berlin.  A software engineer in Hamburg earns an average of €65,000 per year. Additional compensation might range from €2,000 to €6,165.  A junior engineer earns €55,000 per year on average, while a senior engineer earns an average of €65,548 per year, plus €4,786 in perks. 

According to the Mercer survey, Hamburg is the 62nd most expensive city to live in the world. 

Frankfurt

The city is placed 48th in the Mercer cost of living study. Frankfurt appears to have comparable income ranges as Hamburg, with an average of €65,000 per year. Additional salary could amount to €5,000 per year. Senior engineers earn €72,000 per year, plus approximately €5,000 in perks. Junior engineers make an average of €56,000 a year. 

Munich

Munich is ranked as the 38th most expensive city to live in. Munich software engineers earn slightly more than their Frankfurt and Hamburg counterparts, with an average yearly pay of €67,000, with supplementary benefits totaling €5,000.  As a senior engineer, you can expect to earn €80,500 a year on average, while a junior engineer might earn €51,976. Engineers in various technology stacks earn varied salaries. For example, an embedded software engineer earns €64,546 per year plus €4,145 in perks, whereas a C++ engineer earns €68,568 per year. 

Cologne

Cologne's salary for software engineers is slightly lower than that of neighboring cities, around €60,000 per year, with perks totaling roughly €4,000. Senior engineers in Cologne earn an average of €70,000 per year, with supplementary benefits of around €4,007. Junior engineers in Cologne earn €50,297 annually. 

Stuttgart

Mercer ranks Stuttgart as the 69th most expensive city to live in. Stuttgart offers highly competitive software engineer salaries of €65,000 per year plus €5,000 in benefits.  Senior engineers earn an average of €80,270 per year, plus an additional €5,270 in compensation, while junior engineers earn €60,948. 

In Germany, Berlin and Munich are among the highest-paying cities for software engineers and developers. According to recent research, software engineers in Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg earn an average 5.5% higher than the national average. Check the chart below for a detailed wage breakdown.

Scope of work-life balance Germany

Work-Life Balance Germany, in general, provides excellent work-life balance. A full-time employment will require you to work approximately 40 hours per week, with a lunch break ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. Companies that require additional hours will compensate with salary or leave.  According to the German Working Hours Act, you are unlikely to work more than 48 hours a week, especially in comparison to other countries such as the United States and the United Kingdom. If you do, you'll get time off or more money.  

If you are a parent, you will be eligible for up to 14 months of paid parental leave. This term can be split between partners. The Act on the Protection of Working moms includes advantages and terms for moms. Social benefits If you lose your job, you may be eligible for unemployment payments. 

Germany is an excellent country to pursue a career as a software engineer since you may make a respectable salary working for Europe's largest manufacturers and MNCs. However, if you are not a citizen, you must complete all necessary documentation.

Do not hesitate to contact us with any questions you may have. We will assist you in navigating through the procedure. Feel free to talk to us on call number +91 75750 20920 and get in touch with our advisors that will answer all your questions, walk you through the application procedure; and finally, prepare you for a wonderful journey abroad.