This is how much you earn in Germany. Here are the rates for each competition
Statistics show that Poles are increasingly returning from Germany because working for a neighbor is simply becoming less and less financially attractive. But is this really the case? And which professions does this apply to? We decided to look at the data.
How much can you earn in Germany? In theory – great, especially from the Polish perspective. The German statistical office reports that in mid-2025, the average gross salary was as much as EUR 4,784 – that is, just over PLN 20,000. zloty.
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Much depends, of course, on profession, but also on place of residence, family situation – and even faith. It is also interesting to compare rates in various professions. It happens that well-paid professions in Poland are at the bottom of the scale in Germany.
Here are the best competitions in Germany
According to data from the German institute Destatis, the best-paid profession in Germany are doctors and dentists. There is no surprise here – average earnings in mid-2025 were over PLN 8.6 thousand. gross euro. That's over 36 thousand. PLN per month.
In theory, such a rate should impress Polish medics. The median earnings of doctors working on contracts is PLN 24,600. PLN, while the average salary of doctors employed under an employment contract is approximately PLN 21.5 thousand. zloty. However, it is no big secret that doctors in Poland often earn much more – and even a rate of PLN 36,000. it's not always impressive to them. Polish medics have recently been talking more and more often about conversations with their colleagues from Germany. When they hear about the rates on the Vistula River, they often joke that they “could have learned Polish.”
Second, Destatis lists a category that is extremely broad—perhaps too broad to analyze meaningfully. These are company heads, but also board members. So the statisticians lumped both small entrepreneurs and the heads of large corporations into the category. Anyway, the average here is approximately 36,000. zloty.
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IT-related professions are very high on the German list. For example, programmers usually earn approximately PLN 24.6 thousand. zloty. A lot of? This is certainly not a low stake. In Poland, however, programmers with experience can usually count on more money.
Polish teachers and academic lecturers are certainly jealous of German scientists. In Poland, this is not the best-paid profession – especially if you are at the beginning of your career. Meanwhile, across the Oder, lecturers and academic teachers are at the top of the salary ladder – they can count on an average of over PLN 6.1 thousand. euro – that is, for over 25.8 thousand PLN gross. You pay a lot not only at universities. Teachers in regular schools also earn a lot – an average of PLN 5,300. euro, i.e. over 22.4 thousand zloty. In Poland, although the earnings of teachers are increasing, they are obviously not at a similar level.
Our neighbor's earnings are also very high in advertising and marketing – on average, the equivalent of over PLN 20,000. zloty. Nannies and caregivers for the elderly are also well paid – in Germany the average salary is close to the equivalent of PLN 17,000. zloty. On the Vistula, caregivers cannot count on such money – that is why this profession across the Oder is still dominated by Poles.
Police officers in Germany earn quite well – over PLN 19,300. zloty. In Poland, the basic salary of a law enforcement officer is from PLN 5.6 to PLN 6.6 thousand. PLN, although you can also count on e.g. housing benefits.
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Construction workers pay poorly in Germany
Recent years have been very good for, for example, workers in the construction industry in Poland. It is difficult to accurately capture their earnings in statistics (after all, a lot is still earned in this profession “under the table”), but it is no secret that many professionals can count on even several dozen thousand. PLN per month. Beyond the Oder, official earnings in this industry are quite modest – on average, the equivalent of approximately PLN 15,000. zloty. Gardeners also earn not much in Germany – about PLN 13,000. zloty.
And who earns the worst in Germany? These are sellers in stores – on average they can count on the equivalent of over PLN 11.3 thousand. zloty. However, this is still twice as much as Polish employees usually receive in popular retail chains.
How much do you earn on hand in Germany?
Earnings across the Odra River depend, of course, on location. Companies in large cities pay the best, where the cost of living is also the highest. However, the difference between the former GDR and the FRG is still visible. In the western part of the country, earnings are still 14 percent lower. higher.
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Calculating net salary in Germany is extremely complicated. Much depends on the tax class – and this is chosen based on your family situation (whether you have children, whether you are married, or even how much your spouse earns). In addition, the final take-home salary depends on the choice of health insurance fund – and on whether you are a member of one of the churches. If so, you must pay a special church tax (8 or 9 percent of income tax, depending on the state). It is usually estimated that in Germany you receive approximately 55-65 percent. gross salary.
Author: Mateusz Madejski, journalist of Business Insider Polska
