According to Glassdoor, it is estimated that the average salary of a software engineer in Germany is €68,750 per year. The average additional cash compensation of a software engineer in Germany is €3,750, with the range of €1850 – €7000. Additional pay includes bonuses, commission, tips, and profit sharing. As per the report, the estimated salary potential of a software engineer will likely be increased to 18% over five years. Before making a decision, you need to be first aware of the information. In this article, you will get to know the complete details of the software engineer’s salary in Germany based on the company, experience, skillset, and location.
Software Engineer Salary in Germany Based on Experience
The estimated range of junior to senior developers’ salaries is around €55,500 to €80,776. Below we’ve given the median and average salary along with the additional pay for a different level of experienced software engineers.
- Entry level: The estimated salary of an entry-level software engineer who has less than 1 year of experience will be €55,500 per year. The average salary will be €52,000 per year with additional pay of €3,500 per year.
- Junior level: The total annual salary of a junior software engineer who has 1 to 3 years of experience is €60,900. The average annual salary will be €57,000 and additional pay will be €3,900.
- Mid-level: The total pay of a mid-level software engineer having an experience of 4 to 9 years is €67,650 per year. The average salary of these engineers will be €64,000 per year and get an additional pay of €3,650 per year.
- Senior Level: The senior software engineer salary in Germany is €75,000 per year. The senior-level experience falls from 10 to 14 years. The average salary of a senior software engineer is €70,000 per year and additional pay will be €5,000 per year.
- Experienced: Software engineers who has 15+ years of experience will get a salary of €80,776 per year while the average salary will be €74,026 per year. The additional compensation will be €6,750 per year.
Software Engineer Skills with Salary
If you’re planning to take up a career in software development, then you need to learn these in-demand skills that top employers in Germany expect. The popular software engineer skills and the average salary are listed below:
- C++ – €57,822 per year
- C#.NET – €58,000 per year
- Java – €56,173 per year
- Java script – €53,767 per year
- Python – €55,069 per year
- SQL – €54,556 per year
- DevOps – €64,000 per year
Salary of Software Engineer in Germany Based on Location
In Germany, Berlin and Munich are one of the top-paying cities for software engineers and developers. As per a recent report, software engineers in Stuttgart, Baden-Wuerttemberg earn an average of 5.5% more than the national average. Check the below table to know the salary in detail.
Top Paying Cities in Germany | Average Salary per annum |
Berlin | 63,000 EUR |
Munich | 64,000 EUR |
Hamburg | 61,000 EUR |
Frankfurt | 60,000 EUR |
Stuggart | 59,000 EUR |
Dusseldorf | 58,000 EUR |
Cologne | 58,000 EUR |
Aachen | 57,000 EUR |
Bielefield | 50,000 EUR |
Bremen | 52,000 EUR |
Darmstadt | 57,000 EUR |
Dortmund | 61,000 EUR |
Dresden | 49,000 EUR |
Essen | 62,000 EUR |
Hanover | 56,000 EUR |
Karlsruhe | 59,000 EUR |
Kaiserslautern | 49,000 EUR |
Konstanz | 84,000 EUR |
Leipzig | 53,000 EUR |
Mannheim | 65,000 EUR |
Muenster | 59,000 EUR |
Nuremberg | 55,000 EUR |
Ulm | 63,000 EUR |
Top Employers Hiring Software Engineers in Germany
As a fresh graduate, you can also get into some of the top software companies in Germany with the highest pay. Check the table below to know the top employers hiring software engineers in Germany.
Top Employers | Average Salary per annum |
Zalando | €60,251 |
Wirecard payment solutions | €69,091 |
Amazon | €68,765 |
Robert Bosch | €65,244 |
Yelp | €55,000 |
Valeo | €60,283 |
Siemens | €59,462 |
Trivago | €57,456 |
€95,000 | |
SAP | €58,576 |
Intel | €75,497 |
€131,802 | |
SeatGeek | €170,303 |
Apple | €118,398 |
Microsoft | €133,552 |
Nvidia | €110,820 |
VMware | €108,926 |
Stripe | €96,612 |
Elastic | €102,298 |
Wayfair | €105,139 |
GitHub | €94,720 |
IBM | €59,915 |
Software Engineer Related Job Role & its Salaries
According to BLS, the employment outlook for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers is projected to grow 25% from 2022 to 2032. Check the below table to know the salary for the different roles of software developers.
Job Role | Average Salary per annum |
Senior Software Engineer | €55k — €87k |
Sr. Software Engineer / Developer / Programmer | €49k — €84k |
Software Developer | €39k — €68k |
Front End Developer / Engineer | €54,750 |
Back End Developer | €60,259 |
Full Stack Developer | €60,000 |
React Developer | €50,000 |
Web Developer | €29k — €55k |
Java Developer | €39k — €66k |
Senior Java Developer | €52k — €80k |
How to get a software engineer job in Germany?
According to BLS, there are expected to be about 153,900 job openings annually for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers over the next decade. German job market competitiveness for software engineering roles depends on your coding expertise, experience, and residency/work permit status. Proficiency in German (C1 level) may boost your chances with many companies.
Key steps for securing a software engineering job in Germany:
- Assess and build the required skill set, which may include JavaScript, React, TypeScript, and database knowledge.
- Obtain relevant certifications to showcase expertise.
- Develop a comprehensive portfolio showcasing projects, open-source contributions, technical writing, and community involvement.
- Create a professional resume and profiles on platforms like LinkedIn, Kununu, and Xing.
- Utilize social and publication platforms (e.g., X, Medium, dev.to) to share your work and expand your portfolio.
- Apply for suitable positions, including internships, traineeships, and working student roles.
- Explore job opportunities on platforms like LinkedIn, Xing, and the Agentur für Arbeit job board.
- Consider reaching out to recruiters strategically and exploring options for a jobseeker’s visa if you’re a foreigner.
- Networking through local or online tech communities, meetups, and events can also be beneficial for finding job prospects and building professional connections.
Summary
In conclusion, the average salary in Germany for a software engineer is €68,750 per year. The salary of a software engineer will vary depending on their experience level, skill set, job role, location, company, and interpersonal skills.