Germany vs 
Austria · 2026
Germany vs Austria: salary after tax and cost of living
Germany and Austria pay the same €73,912 gross on an $80,000 salary and tax it almost identically, but the lead quietly changes hands as pay rises. Austria hands back slightly more at the mid-point, €45,435 against Germany's €44,834, then Germany pulls ahead by €2,129 once you reach $150,000. On cost of living the two are close enough to call a draw.
Updated 6 September 2026. Data: World Bank PPP 2011 to 2025, Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de) 2026, Bundesministerium fuer Finanzen 2026. Download the data (CSV)
Do you take home more in Germany or Austria?
The same salary, shown in US dollars and converted to each country at market exchange rates, so take-home is compared on the same real money.
| Salary (US$) | Germany net (keep) | Austria net (keep) | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| $40,000 | €25,222 | 68% | €26,637 | 72% |
| $60,000 | €35,258 | 64% | €36,352 | 66% |
| $80,000 | €44,834 | 61% | €45,435 | 61% |
| $100,000 | €54,559 | 59% | €54,970 | 59% |
| $150,000 | €80,749 | 58% | €78,620 | 57% |
How much tax do you pay on $80,000 in Germany vs Austria?
Germany
- Gross
- €73,912
- Income tax
- -€13,466
- Social contributions
- -€15,612
- Take-home
- €44,834
- Effective rate
- 39.3%
Austria
- Gross
- €73,912
- Income tax
- -€15,121
- Social contributions
- -€13,356
- Take-home
- €45,435
- Effective rate
- 38.5%
Is Austria cheaper than Germany, and what is your pay really worth?
On World Bank price levels (United States = 100), Germany sits at 75.9 and Austria at 78, so Austria costs about 2.8% more to live in. Adjusted for those prices, a €73,912 salary in Germany has the same buying power as about €75,914 in Austria. After both tax and cost of living, take-home on an $80,000 salary is worth about the same in each.
Same gross, two different tax recipes
Both countries land within a percentage point of each other at $80,000: Austria keeps 61.5 percent, Germany 60.7 percent. What differs is the mix. Austria leans on income tax, taking €15,121, and asks less in social contributions at €13,356. Germany reverses the weighting, charging €13,466 in income tax and a heavier €15,612 in social contributions.
Both fund comprehensive health and pension systems; they just collect the money through different doors. The effective rates sit at 38.5 percent for Austria and 39.3 percent for Germany, a difference small enough to be swallowed by a single tax-class change or family allowance. For most mid-career movers the two payslips feel interchangeable.
The high earner crossover
Follow the ladder and the order reverses. At $40,000 Austria keeps 72.1 percent to Germany's 68.2. At $60,000 it is 65.6 versus 63.6, and at $80,000 still 61.5 versus 60.7. But by $150,000 Austria's net is €78,620, or 56.7 percent, while Germany's is €80,749, or 58.3 percent.
Germany overtakes somewhere above the $100,000 rung, where the two are nearly level at €54,970 and €54,559. The cause is Austria's steeper top income-tax brackets biting hard on high pay, while Germany's social contributions reach their ceilings and stop growing. Germany's effective rate stabilises and then slips below Austria's, so the high earner is marginally better off on the German side.
Cost of living: effectively a draw
Prices are close. Austria's index sits at 78.0 against Germany's 75.9, a 2.8 percent premium, small enough that neither country meaningfully out-stretches the other. In real purchasing power the German net is worth about $63,936 and the Austrian about $63,048, a gap under one and a half percent that the figures treat as a tie.
A German euro and an Austrian euro buy almost the same basket, so the choice rarely comes down to money. To reproduce German purchasing power in Austria you would need roughly €75,914 of gross, a touch above the €73,912 on offer. Decide on career, language comfort or lifestyle, because the payslip barely moves the needle either way.
Frequently asked questions
Is take-home higher in Germany or Austria on 80k?+
Austria, but only just. It nets €45,435 against Germany's €44,834, a €601 edge on the same €73,912 gross.
Does Austria's take-home lead hold at higher salaries?+
No. Germany overtakes above roughly €100,000. At the $150,000 level Germany nets €80,749 against Austria's €78,620, a €2,129 swing.
Does Austria cost more than Germany to live in?+
Marginally. Austrian prices are about 2.8 percent higher, index 78.0 against 75.9, which is close enough to make no real difference.
What gross in Austria matches German buying power?+
Around €75,914, just above the €73,912 the benchmark pays, reflecting Austria's slightly higher prices.
Sources
- § 32a EStG Einkommensteuertarif (Fassung ab Veranlagungszeitraum 2026) · Bundesministerium der Justiz (gesetze-im-internet.de), Germany tax rules 2026
- Steuertarif und Steuerabsetzbetraege · Bundesministerium fuer Finanzen, Austria tax rules 2026
- World Bank PPP conversion factors (2011 to 2025) · price levels and equivalence, CC BY 4.0
- Download this comparison as CSV · or JSON
- Take-home figures use each country's official 2026 income tax and social-contribution rules, factchecked against worked examples.
Estimates for general comparison, not financial, tax or relocation advice. Individual tax depends on allowances, residency and local rules; confirm with an official source before deciding.