Europe's tech sector continues to mature, with salaries rising across nearly every market. Whether you're a recruiter benchmarking compensation packages, an HR leader planning headcount, or a candidate weighing offers, this guide provides the most comprehensive overview of European tech salaries in 2026.
We compiled data from Glassdoor, Levels.fyi, government statistics offices, Mercer compensation surveys, and Taleva's own database of 200M+ European professional profiles to build this report. All figures represent gross annual compensation (base salary) unless otherwise noted. Currency is local: EUR for eurozone countries, GBP for the UK, CHF for Switzerland, and SEK for Sweden.
Software Engineer Salaries by Country
Software engineering remains the most in-demand tech role across Europe. Salaries vary dramatically depending on geography, with Switzerland and the UK (London) commanding the highest premiums.
| Country | Junior (0-2 yr) | Mid (3-5 yr) | Senior (6+ yr) | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | €45,000 - €55,000 | €58,000 - €75,000 | €78,000 - €105,000 | €68,000 |
| United Kingdom | £32,000 - £42,000 | £48,000 - £68,000 | £72,000 - £105,000 | £58,000 |
| France | €38,000 - €46,000 | €48,000 - €62,000 | €65,000 - €90,000 | €55,000 |
| Netherlands | €42,000 - €52,000 | €55,000 - €72,000 | €75,000 - €100,000 | €65,000 |
| Spain | €25,000 - €33,000 | €35,000 - €48,000 | €50,000 - €72,000 | €42,000 |
| Sweden | SEK 360,000 - 420,000 | SEK 450,000 - 580,000 | SEK 600,000 - 800,000 | SEK 520,000 |
| Switzerland | CHF 80,000 - 100,000 | CHF 105,000 - 130,000 | CHF 135,000 - 180,000 | CHF 120,000 |
| Poland | €18,000 - €28,000 | €30,000 - €48,000 | €50,000 - €78,000 | €38,000 |
| Portugal | €20,000 - €28,000 | €30,000 - €42,000 | €45,000 - €65,000 | €35,000 |
| Ireland | €40,000 - €52,000 | €58,000 - €78,000 | €80,000 - €115,000 | €70,000 |
Sources: Glassdoor (2025-2026), Levels.fyi, Destatis, ONS, INE, CBS, Taleva internal data.
Key insight: Poland and Portugal continue to offer the best value for companies building remote engineering teams in Europe, with senior developers earning 40-50% less than their German or Dutch counterparts while delivering comparable output. Ireland stands out for its combination of English proficiency, EU membership, and competitive salaries driven by its multinational tech presence.
Data Scientist Salaries by Country
Data science roles have stabilized after years of rapid growth. While demand remains strong, the explosion of AI/ML tooling has shifted hiring toward senior and specialized profiles rather than generalist juniors.
| Country | Junior | Mid | Senior | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | €48,000 - €58,000 | €62,000 - €82,000 | €85,000 - €115,000 | €72,000 |
| United Kingdom | £35,000 - £45,000 | £50,000 - £72,000 | £78,000 - £115,000 | £62,000 |
| France | €40,000 - €50,000 | €52,000 - €68,000 | €70,000 - €95,000 | €58,000 |
| Netherlands | €44,000 - €55,000 | €58,000 - €78,000 | €80,000 - €110,000 | €68,000 |
| Spain | €28,000 - €36,000 | €38,000 - €52,000 | €55,000 - €78,000 | €45,000 |
| Switzerland | CHF 85,000 - 105,000 | CHF 110,000 - 140,000 | CHF 145,000 - 195,000 | CHF 130,000 |
| Poland | €20,000 - €30,000 | €32,000 - €50,000 | €52,000 - €80,000 | €40,000 |
| Ireland | €42,000 - €55,000 | €60,000 - €82,000 | €85,000 - €120,000 | €72,000 |
Sources: Glassdoor, Hays Salary Guide 2026, Robert Half Technology Salary Guide, Taleva data.
Product Manager Salaries by Country
Product management has established itself as a core function in European tech, though the role definition still varies between markets. In the UK and Germany, PM salaries are converging with engineering salaries at the senior level.
| Country | Junior | Mid | Senior | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | €50,000 - €60,000 | €65,000 - €85,000 | €88,000 - €120,000 | €75,000 |
| United Kingdom | £38,000 - £48,000 | £52,000 - £75,000 | £80,000 - £120,000 | £65,000 |
| France | €42,000 - €52,000 | €55,000 - €72,000 | €75,000 - €100,000 | €62,000 |
| Netherlands | €45,000 - €55,000 | €60,000 - €80,000 | €82,000 - €115,000 | €70,000 |
| Spain | €30,000 - €40,000 | €42,000 - €58,000 | €60,000 - €85,000 | €50,000 |
| Switzerland | CHF 90,000 - 110,000 | CHF 115,000 - 145,000 | CHF 150,000 - 200,000 | CHF 135,000 |
| Poland | €22,000 - €32,000 | €34,000 - €52,000 | €55,000 - €80,000 | €42,000 |
| Ireland | €45,000 - €58,000 | €62,000 - €85,000 | €88,000 - €125,000 | €75,000 |
Sources: Glassdoor, Product School salary data, Taleva internal benchmarks.
DevOps / Platform Engineer Salaries
DevOps and platform engineering remain among the highest-paid specializations in European tech. Cloud certifications (AWS, GCP, Azure) and Kubernetes experience command significant premiums, often 10-20% above base for the same seniority level.
| Country | Junior | Mid | Senior | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | €48,000 - €58,000 | €62,000 - €82,000 | €85,000 - €115,000 | €72,000 |
| United Kingdom | £35,000 - £45,000 | £50,000 - £72,000 | £75,000 - £110,000 | £62,000 |
| France | €40,000 - €50,000 | €52,000 - €68,000 | €70,000 - €95,000 | €58,000 |
| Netherlands | €45,000 - €55,000 | €58,000 - €78,000 | €80,000 - €110,000 | €68,000 |
| Spain | €28,000 - €36,000 | €38,000 - €52,000 | €55,000 - €78,000 | €45,000 |
| Switzerland | CHF 85,000 - 105,000 | CHF 110,000 - 140,000 | CHF 145,000 - 190,000 | CHF 128,000 |
| Poland | €20,000 - €30,000 | €34,000 - €52,000 | €55,000 - €82,000 | €42,000 |
| Ireland | €44,000 - €56,000 | €60,000 - €82,000 | €85,000 - €120,000 | €72,000 |
Sources: Glassdoor, Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, Taleva data.
UX Designer Salaries by Country
UX design compensation has improved as European companies invest more in product-led growth. However, the gap between UX and engineering salaries persists, particularly at junior levels. Designers with strong prototyping and research skills earn the highest premiums.
| Country | Junior | Mid | Senior | Median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Germany | €38,000 - €48,000 | €50,000 - €68,000 | €70,000 - €95,000 | €58,000 |
| United Kingdom | £28,000 - £36,000 | £40,000 - £58,000 | £62,000 - £90,000 | £50,000 |
| France | €34,000 - €42,000 | €44,000 - €58,000 | €60,000 - €82,000 | €50,000 |
| Netherlands | €38,000 - €48,000 | €50,000 - €68,000 | €70,000 - €95,000 | €58,000 |
| Spain | €22,000 - €30,000 | €32,000 - €44,000 | €46,000 - €65,000 | €38,000 |
| Switzerland | CHF 72,000 - 90,000 | CHF 95,000 - 120,000 | CHF 125,000 - 165,000 | CHF 110,000 |
| Poland | €15,000 - €24,000 | €26,000 - €40,000 | €42,000 - €62,000 | €32,000 |
| Ireland | €36,000 - €48,000 | €52,000 - €70,000 | €72,000 - €100,000 | €62,000 |
Sources: Glassdoor, UX Design Institute salary reports, Taleva data.
City-Level Salary Benchmarks: Major Tech Hubs
Country averages only tell part of the story. Salaries in capital cities and established tech hubs routinely exceed national medians by 15-40%. Here's how the major hubs compare for a mid-level software engineer.
| City | Mid-Level SWE Salary | vs. National Median | Cost of Living Index |
|---|---|---|---|
| Zurich | CHF 125,000 | +4% | Very High (131) |
| London | £72,000 | +24% | High (101) |
| Dublin | €78,000 | +11% | High (92) |
| Amsterdam | €72,000 | +11% | High (85) |
| Berlin | €68,000 | 0% | Medium (70) |
| Munich | €75,000 | +10% | High (82) |
| Paris | €62,000 | +13% | High (87) |
| Stockholm | SEK 560,000 | +8% | High (81) |
| Barcelona | €48,000 | +14% | Medium (65) |
| Lisbon | €40,000 | +14% | Medium (52) |
| Warsaw | €45,000 | +18% | Low (42) |
Sources: Numbeo Cost of Living Index 2026, Glassdoor city-level data, Taleva data. Index relative to New York City = 100.
Key insight: Berlin remains Europe's best salary-to-cost-of-living ratio for software engineers. Warsaw is the rising star: salaries have grown 12% year-over-year while living costs remain among the lowest in the EU. Zurich pays the most in absolute terms, but its extreme cost of living erodes much of the premium.
Salary Trends and What's Driving Them
1. The AI premium is real
Engineers with hands-on experience in LLMs, ML infrastructure, or AI product development command a 20-35% premium over general software engineers at the same seniority level. This trend is most pronounced in the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands, where VC-funded AI startups compete directly with US tech companies for talent.
2. Remote work compresses geographic gaps, slowly
Companies hiring remotely across Europe have adopted location-based pay bands, but the bands are narrowing. A senior engineer in Lisbon working for a Berlin-based company now earns roughly 80-85% of the Berlin rate, up from 65-70% in 2022. This gradual compression benefits talent in lower-cost markets while keeping overall costs manageable for employers.
3. Eastern Europe is closing the gap
Poland, Romania, and the Czech Republic have seen the fastest salary growth in Europe over the past three years (8-12% annually). As these markets mature and local startups scale, the arbitrage opportunity for Western European companies is shrinking. Smart recruiters are building relationships in these markets now before the window closes further.
4. Total compensation matters more than base salary
European companies are increasingly competing on equity, flexible work arrangements, learning budgets, and extended parental leave. In markets like the Netherlands and Sweden, where base salaries have plateaued at the senior level, total compensation packages differentiate offers. Stock options remain less common than in the US, but are growing, especially in the UK and Germany's startup ecosystems.
5. Contractor rates are rising faster than permanent salaries
The freelance premium in European tech has widened to 30-50% above equivalent permanent salaries. Demand for contract DevOps, security, and data engineering specialists is particularly strong, driven by companies needing project-based expertise without long-term commitments.
Methodology
This report aggregates data from multiple sources to provide the most accurate picture of European tech compensation:
- Glassdoor employer-reported and employee-submitted salary data (2025-2026)
- Levels.fyi verified compensation data from major tech companies
- Government statistics from Destatis (Germany), ONS (UK), INSEE (France), CBS (Netherlands), INE (Spain/Portugal), and GUS (Poland)
- Taleva's proprietary database of 200M+ European professional profiles, including compensation signals
- Industry surveys from Hays, Robert Half, Mercer, and Radford
All figures represent gross annual base salary in local currency. Bonuses, equity, and benefits are excluded unless explicitly stated. Ranges represent the 25th to 75th percentile.
Related recruiter efficiency benchmarks: To connect compensation planning with hiring execution, review Recruiter Productivity Benchmarks in Europe and Candidate Response Rate Benchmarks in Europe.