How much it costs to hire a software developer in Europe in 2025
Author
James Kelly
Last Updated
14 December 2025
Read Time
4 min
Planning to scale your development team across Europe? The salary figure you put down on the contract is only just the starting point.
That €60,000 developer salary you’ve budgeted for? In some European countries, this could actually end up costing you more than €95,000 once all the mandatory contributions have been accounted for. Meanwhile, your new hire might only see as little as €29,000 hit their bank account after taxes.
Understanding this disconnect is crucial for teams hiring internationally, as it affects not just your budgeting and financial planning, but also plays a big role in the employee experience and even talent retention.
That’s why we created our comprehensive 2025 European Employment Costs eBook, analysing multiple salary levels across 36 countries. In this blog, we’re diving into one specific focus area: what it actually costs to hire software developers at real market rates across Europe.
A word on salary ranges
For the software developer salaries used in this analysis, we partnered with TalentUp, which provides AI-driven salary data for over 650 roles across 190+ cities in 70 countries. Their platform delivers real-time, trustworthy salary benchmarks that reflect current market conditions rather than relying on outdated survey data.
We focused specifically on mid-level software developers with 5+ years of experience, since we believe this represents one of the most commonly hired remote roles for companies expanding internationally.
How much does it cost to hire a software developer in Europe?
Here’s what it actually costs to hire a software developer at median market rates across Europe:
Highest cost markets
- Norway: €85,222 total cost (from €70,700 salary)
- Luxembourg: €84,255 total cost (from €74,900 salary)
- Germany: €81,200 total cost (from €65,200 salary)
- Austria: €81,746 total cost (from €61,000 salary)
- Netherlands: €80,701 total cost (from €62,800 salary)
Lowest cost markets
- Romania: €25,255 total cost (from €24,700 salary)
- Ukraine: €29,402 total cost (from €24,100 salary)
- Serbia: €29,133 total cost (from €25,300 salary)
- Montenegro: €29,868 total cost (from €28,000 salary)
- Albania: €29,965 total cost (from €26,300 salary)
As you can see, the difference between hiring a software developer in Norway versus Romania comes to €60,000 annually for the same level of experience and skills.
Other notable markets
Now let’s take a look at the costs in some of the other major talent markets across Europe:
- France: €80,197 total cost (from €50,400 salary)
- Ireland: €73,915 total cost (from €66,500 salary)
- United Kingdom: €69,081 total cost (from €62,100 salary)
- Italy: €65,149 total cost (from €44,200 salary)
- Spain: €49,062 total cost (from €36,800 salary)
- Portugal: €37,891 total cost (from €31,200 salary)
What developers take home (net pay analysis)
While employers quite rightly focus on the total costs, another important factor to consider is employee net pay. Here’s a look at the countries with both the highest and lowest take-home pay for mid-level software developers (median local market rates):
Highest net pay
- Switzerland: €49,415 (from €59,100 gross)
- United Kingdom: €48,340 (from €62,100 gross)
- Luxembourg: €47,806 (from €74,900 gross)
- Ireland: €46,825 (from €66,500 gross)
- Malta: €45,905 (from €60,900 gross)
Lowest net pay
- Romania: €14,450 (from €24,700 gross)
- Turkey: €16,146 (from €26,800 gross)
- Ukraine: €18,557 (from €24,100 gross)
- Montenegro: €18,760 (from €28,000 gross)
- Serbia: €18,893 (from €25,300 gross)
Ready to dive deeper?
This data only scratches the surface of European employment costs analysis. Our comprehensive 2025 European Employment Costs eBook covers all 36 countries in detail, including:
- Complete cost breakdowns at multiple salary levels (€32K, €60K, €150K)
- Cost of living analysis and purchasing power calculations
- Country-by-country deep dives with strategic insights
Download the full eBook here to access the complete data set and make informed decisions about your European hiring strategy.
The making available of information to you on this site by Boundless shall not create a legal, confidential or other relationship between you and Boundless and does not constitute the provision of legal, tax, commercial or other professional advice by Boundless. You acknowledge and agree that any information on this site has not been prepared with your specific circumstances in mind, may not be suitable for use in your business, and does not constitute advice intended for reliance. You assume all risk and liability that may result from any such reliance on the information and you should seek independent advice from a lawyer or tax professional in the relevant jurisdiction(s) before doing so.
Explore more resources
How the big 5 European economies compare on 2025 employment costs
We analysed €60k salaries across 5 EU countries, revealing a €28,660 gap in employer costs. See which country offers the best value.
US vs Europe: How 2025 employment costs and net pay compare
See a comparison of employment costs and net pay in 10 US and European cities, revealing how salaries, taxes, and living costs affect hiring costs.
Understanding the cost of employment across Europe
Dee Coakley shares the data and insights you need to understand true employer costs and make informed hiring decisions.
Understanding employment costs across Europe in 2025
A detailed comparison of true employment costs across 36 European countries to support smarter hiring and compensation decisions for 2025.
Global employment made gloriously uneventful
Talk to us and discover Boundless possibilities
Book a personalised discovery and get your questions answered by our experts.
