Dreaming of a Germany job? Indian engineer explains what a €70,000 salary looks like after taxes, rent & other costs

A €70,000 salary in Germany may look like a lucrative opportunity for Indians when converted into rupees, but one Indian professional says the headline salary does not tell the full story.

After spending six years in Germany, Tanuj, a Principal Software Engineer who now lives in Bengaluru, shared his experience of taxes and living costs in the country, urging Indians to consider the overall cost of living before moving to Europe for work.

In a post on X, Tanuj said a €70,000 annual salary translates to around Rs 65–70 lakh in India. However, he said the amount left after taxes and regular expenses can look very different.

 

 

 

“Reality check for Indians dreaming of Germany or Europe. I lived in Germany for 6 years. A €70k salary sounds massive in INR. (~65-70 LPA after conversion),” he wrote. 

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He then listed some of the expenses that can reduce the value of the salary, including taxes, rent, electricity, internet and insurance.

“But reality looks more like this: ~40% gone in taxes, €1.5k+ rent in major cities, expensive electricity & internet, high insurance costs, eating out is costly, every service costs money,” he noted. 

Tanuj also brought purchasing power parity (PPP) into the comparison, saying that the €70,000 German salary feels closer to an income of around Rs 32–35 lakh in India after accounting for differences in the cost of living.

“So before leaving your well-paid job in India. Think twice. Make decision wisely instead of regretting later,” Tanuj wrote.

Users debate salary versus quality of life

Tanuj’s post also drew responses from users who said a comparison based only on salary and expenses may not capture the full value of living in Germany.

One user pointed out that insurance costs also cover healthcare, which can be expensive in India. “The ‘high insurance costs’ provide healthcare for which you can end up paying lakhs in India,” the user said, adding that “the food, air and infrastructure are miles ahead of India”.

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Another user said financial considerations are not the only factor when deciding to move abroad. “Not everything is about money, peaceful and quality of life matters,” the user said. They also argued that working in Europe or the US can offer career progression in some mid-sized software companies, particularly for experienced professionals who may find it harder to move up the ladder in India after reaching the senior software engineer level.

A third user took a more money-focused view, saying that for someone with more than five years of experience, a salary below $200,000 or €200,000 may not justify leaving India purely for financial reasons.

“Definitely there are other benifits like clean air, water etc. But purely from money point of view, may not be beneficial,” the user noted.