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Poll: Full-time software engineer salaries in Berlin

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Re: Poll: Full-time software engineer salaries in Berlin

#91

Post by jk4930 »

dreen wrote: post #12

Developer here looking to possibly relocate from London to Berlin or other German (or Dutch) place, I have a question for anyone filling out this poll: I spend on avarage about £700 a month excluding rent, which allows for relatively comfortable life in London. What spending can I expect in Berlin? What about rent? (I pay £425 which is pretty cheap for London)

Cost of living (comparing London to Berlin): http://www.numbeo.com/cost-of-living/compare_cities.jsp?coun...

Cost of living (as of Jan2014): http://www.expatistan.com/cost-of-living/berlin

Map of rent prices: http://www.stadtentwicklung.berlin.de/wohnen/mietspiegel/de/...

Re: Poll: Full-time software engineer salaries in Berlin

#92

Post by superplussed »

junto wrote: post #77
maciejgryka wrote: post #35

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've just made the same move, feel free to get in touch if you have any more questions! I've only been here for about 3 weeks so far, so don't have much data, but €500/month for living costs seems easy. Rent, depending on what you want, is probably about 80% of what you pay for a comparable flat in London. You can probably get 2 bedrooms (+living room) with all the bills included for about €800. Just be prepared for…

I've been in Germany a number of years now. If you are freelancing then get a good accountant is the one tip I would give. The Germans take tax matters very seriously.

I assume you got the freelancer's visa? How hard was that process? Were you able to get it in your first 3 months to avoid making a visa run?

Re: Poll: Full-time software engineer salaries in Berlin

#93

Post by mahyarm »

efuquen wrote: post #84
Xylakant wrote: post #70

Earlier quoted context omitted.

European and US wages are in no way comparable by looking at just the figures. European wages include pension payments, health care, payment for sick days and at least 4 weeks of paid holidays while US contracts often do not provide all of those benefits. This skews the raw numbers massively.

There are definitely factors that make comparing these salaries difficult, but some of the things you listed just simply don't apply to most Software Engineers. Most jobs will offer you good health care for free, not deducted from your wages. Also most jobs won't deduct sick days from your salary and even though 2 weeks is more standard for holidays here I've found that getting more vacation days is not that difficul…

While the expensive cities we live in might be expensive on a rent basis, everything else in the USA is far cheaper compared to Europe and Canada. Food, consumer goods, gas, VAT/sales tax, etc.

After a certain point the cost of rent maxes out, especially if your a single person with roommates. Also the US has lower tax rates. If you wanted to be really optimal in total profits and not move to a developing country you might work in austin, seattle or even las vegas with no state income tax and far more affordable rents.

The only thing left is 2 or 3 more weeks in vacation time, which if you adjust on a $/hour basis, the SFBA still comes out ahead. It is definitely enviable, but there are companies out there that would be fine with you taking equivalent unpaid vacations or working remotely for weeks at a time.

Re: Poll: Full-time software engineer salaries in Berlin

#94

Post by devinegan »

phazmatis wrote: post #36

A little off-topic, but how hard is it for a US citizen interested in having lived in two countries in his life to get a dev job in the EU? I imagine most devs that come in from another country are coming from at least within the EU, and I was just wondering how unheard-of my case would be.

My brother is a US citizen and left Zappos (Las Vegas) for Soundcloud (Berlin) last year and his experience was seemingly very smooth. I think Soundcloud helped a lot with that, but it doesn't sound difficult to get your visa. With that said, he did mention that his college degree helped with that process.

Re: Poll: Full-time software engineer salaries in Berlin

#95

Post by e12e »

superplussed wrote: post #92
junto wrote: post #77

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've been in Germany a number of years now. If you are freelancing then get a good accountant is the one tip I would give. The Germans take tax matters very seriously.

I assume you got the freelancer's visa? How hard was that process? Were you able to get it in your first 3 months to avoid making a visa run?

If (s)he's not from the EU/Schengen area, in which case no visa is needed...

Re: Poll: Full-time software engineer salaries in Berlin

#97

Post by junto »

e12e wrote: post #95
superplussed wrote: post #92

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I assume you got the freelancer's visa? How hard was that process? Were you able to get it in your first 3 months to avoid making a visa run?

If (s)he's not from the EU/Schengen area, in which case no visa is needed...

Correct. I'm lucky to be an EU citizen. No visa required.
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