6 ms·

I don’t understand why salaries are so low in Europe. I work in New Zealand, not exactly a tech hub, and I’m on $220k p.a. (mid career). $160k US, 130k EUR. 39

I don’t understand why salaries are so low in Europe. I work in New Zealand, not exactly a tech hub, and I’m on $220k p.a. (mid career). $160k US, 130k EUR. 39% top tax. I wouldn’t say I am significantly above average and I’m not in management (architect/principal engineer). Similar story in Australia. Not quite US levels but decent compensation, I don’t feel taken advantage of.

emptyfile 5y ago
Because supply and demand? What sort of answer do you think you'll get? We get it, anglos are a lot more rich then averaege europeans. Congrats.
- esrauch 5y ago
  I don't think that's fair: Software Engineer salaries in London are also relatively low compared to non-SV-major-city-US. And it's not across the board since Finance jobs in the same area pay better, so it seems that there's something specifically about how that one role is valued.
anon98356 5y ago
Does that figure take into account cost of living? When I left NZ 6 years ago it wasn't a cheap place to live.
- ZephyrBlu 5y ago
  220k is sweet as in NZ even if you're living in Wellington or Auckland.
  - anon98356 5y ago
    Yeh I'm sure 220k is a great salary for NZ. But in terms of purchasing power, how does it compare to $70k-£80k in the UK (I don't know, as I said haven't lived in NZ for 6 years)? I'd also be interested to know how common it is to be on 200k+ as a dev in NZ (edit: spelling/grammar)
    - ZephyrBlu 5y ago
      Not sure about purchasing power, but from a salary perspective I thought that kind of money simply didn't exist at NZ companies. Maybe at Amazon or Microsoft in NZ you can get paid that much though.
    - indemnity 5y ago
      I've worked in the UK, but my information is also out of date (a decade ago). UK is cheaper for quite a few things, so a direct currency conversion doesn't work. If I had to guess, probably in the 90-100k GBP ballpark.
ZephyrBlu 5y ago
I honestly didn't think there was that kind of money in NZ. What kind of company are you working for?
- indemnity 5y ago
  Not a Kiwi company, a multi-national cloud company that has done really well. Base is 170k. Bonuses are reliably paid out. Based on RSUs, it can also be much higher than 220k. I've had years where it was 300k, share price dependent. My peer group are all in the 180-250k range, and many are working for Kiwi companies.
MetallicCloud 5y ago
Really? Maybe that sort of money is available in Sydney. I never saw anything close to that level in Melbourne, particularly for a mid level developer. I've had to move to the US to make a decent wage.
- Mandatum 5y ago
  Contract or tech company. 200 + 100K stocks in Melbourne. 300K is normal contracting. AUD.
- indemnity 5y ago
  Mid-career (architect/principal engineer). I am 41. Next step would be management, but I've done that before, and will be staying IC as long as I can make this kind of money for it. But I have a year left before I am mortgage free anyway, so that will change the risk calculus a lot, probably go contracting for more $$. Probably laughable comp for the Bay Area at this stage of my career, but I am not in the Bay Area...
h1fra 5y ago
I can only speak about a France here, but the salaries seems low because it's after most taxes. When you get 200k in US, you have to pay for your healthcare, pension, etc... In France when you get 80k, which is a very high-end salary (~94% of the french are paid less than that), you still pay some taxes on it but the company already payed the healthcare, pension, 25 days of mandatory vacation, etc... All-in-All you get the same value, numbers are hardly comparable.

emptyfile 5y ago

Because supply and demand? What sort of answer do you think you'll get? We get it, anglos are a lot more rich then averaege europeans. Congrats.

esrauch 5y ago
I don't think that's fair: Software Engineer salaries in London are also relatively low compared to non-SV-major-city-US. And it's not across the board since Finance jobs in the same area pay better, so it seems that there's something specifically about how that one role is valued.

anon98356 5y ago

Does that figure take into account cost of living? When I left NZ 6 years ago it wasn't a cheap place to live.

ZephyrBlu 5y ago
220k is sweet as in NZ even if you're living in Wellington or Auckland.
- anon98356 5y ago
  Yeh I'm sure 220k is a great salary for NZ. But in terms of purchasing power, how does it compare to $70k-£80k in the UK (I don't know, as I said haven't lived in NZ for 6 years)? I'd also be interested to know how common it is to be on 200k+ as a dev in NZ (edit: spelling/grammar)
  - ZephyrBlu 5y ago
    Not sure about purchasing power, but from a salary perspective I thought that kind of money simply didn't exist at NZ companies. Maybe at Amazon or Microsoft in NZ you can get paid that much though.
  - indemnity 5y ago
    I've worked in the UK, but my information is also out of date (a decade ago). UK is cheaper for quite a few things, so a direct currency conversion doesn't work. If I had to guess, probably in the 90-100k GBP ballpark.

ZephyrBlu 5y ago

I honestly didn't think there was that kind of money in NZ. What kind of company are you working for?

indemnity 5y ago
Not a Kiwi company, a multi-national cloud company that has done really well. Base is 170k. Bonuses are reliably paid out. Based on RSUs, it can also be much higher than 220k. I've had years where it was 300k, share price dependent. My peer group are all in the 180-250k range, and many are working for Kiwi companies.

MetallicCloud 5y ago

Really? Maybe that sort of money is available in Sydney. I never saw anything close to that level in Melbourne, particularly for a mid level developer. I've had to move to the US to make a decent wage.

Mandatum 5y ago
Contract or tech company. 200 + 100K stocks in Melbourne. 300K is normal contracting. AUD.
indemnity 5y ago
Mid-career (architect/principal engineer). I am 41. Next step would be management, but I've done that before, and will be staying IC as long as I can make this kind of money for it. But I have a year left before I am mortgage free anyway, so that will change the risk calculus a lot, probably go contracting for more $$. Probably laughable comp for the Bay Area at this stage of my career, but I am not in the Bay Area...

h1fra 5y ago

I can only speak about a France here, but the salaries seems low because it's after most taxes. When you get 200k in US, you have to pay for your healthcare, pension, etc... In France when you get 80k, which is a very high-end salary (~94% of the french are paid less than that), you still pay some taxes on it but the company already payed the healthcare, pension, 25 days of mandatory vacation, etc... All-in-All you get the same value, numbers are hardly comparable.