Germany vs Austria: take-home pay compared
Germany and Austria share a language, a border, and broadly similar social-insurance-funded welfare systems — making this one of the closest comparisons on this site. But Austria's unique payroll structure means the monthly numbers alone don't tell the full story.
Net salary side by side
Figures are calculated using this site's own tax engine for each country — click through to the full calculator to adjust for your exact situation.
| Gross salary | 🇩🇪 Germany net/mo | 🇦🇹 Austria net/mo |
|---|---|---|
| 40,000 | €2,201/mo (34.0%) | €2,298/mo (31.1%) |
| 60,000 | €3,082/mo (38.4%) | €3,131/mo (37.4%) |
| 80,000 | €4,045/mo (39.3%) | €4,013/mo (39.8%) |
| 110,000 | €5,478/mo (40.2%) | €5,313/mo (42.0%) |
"Gross salary" is shown in each country's own currency at matching nominal amounts, not currency-converted — useful for comparing two job offers quoted in local currency. Effective rate shown in brackets.
Nearly identical on paper — until you add Austria's 13th and 14th salary
The monthly figures above are almost a rounding error apart, and cross over right around €80,000. But this comparison hides Austria's biggest structural quirk: Austrian employees are paid in 14 instalments a year, not 12 — the 12 regular months plus Urlaubsgeld (13th, ~June) and Weihnachtsgeld (14th, ~November), both taxed at a flat ~6% rate (Jahressechstel) rather than the marginal rate used for the smoothed monthly figures shown. The figures in the table already reflect this favourable treatment on an annualised basis — the exact 14-instalment arithmetic lands within about 2% of them. What the table can't show is the rhythm: an Austrian June or November payslip arrives at nearly double a normal month.
Where the two systems genuinely differ
Germany's social contributions (pension, health, unemployment, long-term care) run close to 20% combined but are capped at fixed ceilings (€90,600 for pension/unemployment, €66,150 for health/care). Austria's Sozialversicherung (~18.12%) is similarly structured but capped at a single €72,840 ceiling. Above these thresholds, both systems shift toward pure income tax, which is why the effective rates in the table above converge rather than diverge at higher incomes.
Frequently asked questions
Extremely close: Austria is ahead below about €70,000 (€3,131 versus €3,082 a month at €60,000), Germany slightly ahead in the €80,000-€110,000 range as its pension ceiling sits higher than Austria's single €72,840 cap. In practice the difference at most salaries is under €100 a month either way.
Austrian employees receive 14 salary payments a year instead of 12 — two extra payments (Urlaubsgeld and Weihnachtsgeld) taxed at a flat ~6% rate rather than the normal marginal rate. The favourable ~6% taxation of those two payments is already reflected in the annualised figures shown — its visible effect is that June and November arrive as near-double months.
Very similar in spirit — both fund pension, health, and unemployment insurance at roughly 18-20% of gross, both capped at income ceilings above which only income tax applies. Germany has multiple separate ceilings; Austria uses a single combined ceiling (€72,840).
No — these are nominal take-home figures. Vienna and Berlin have broadly comparable living costs; Munich is notably more expensive than either.