The ranking
Switzerland leaves you the most money, but Poland buys the most once prices are counted: €4,205 at EU-average prices, monthly average.
Sorted by net pay under standard rules, highest first. Click a column to sort by it; click it again to flip the order.
| # | Compared | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CHSwitzerlandExpatriate deductions | €3,520 | €3,700 | +€180 | €2,055Prices 171.3 · EU 100 | €2,160 | |
| 2 | IEIrelandSpecial Assignee Relief Programme | €3,304 | from €125,000 | — | €2,426Prices 136.2 · EU 100 | — | |
| 3 | NLNetherlandsExpat ruling (30% ruling) | €3,262 | €3,345 | +€84 | €2,822Prices 115.6 · EU 100 | €2,894 | |
| 4 | CYCyprus50% exemption for high earners | €3,258 | from €55,000 | — | €3,652Prices 89.2 · EU 100 | — | |
| 5 | NONorwayFlat withholding for foreign workers | €3,219 | €3,125 | −€94 | €2,503Prices 128.6 · EU 100 | €2,430 | |
| 6 | MTMaltaHighly skilled 15% flat rate | €3,166 | from €65,000 | — | €3,445Prices 91.9 · EU 100 | — | |
| 7 | ESSpainBeckham Law | €2,942 | €2,896 | −€46 | €3,212Prices 91.6 · EU 100 | €3,161 | |
| 8 | GRGreece50% exemption for relocating workers | €2,773 | €3,381 | +€608 | €3,172Prices 87.4 · EU 100 | €3,868 | |
| 9 | ITItalyImpatriate workers regime | €2,714 | €3,523 | +€809 | €2,795Prices 97.1 · EU 100 | €3,628 | |
| 10 | DEGermanyno regime | €2,695 | no regime | — | €2,488Prices 108.3 · EU 100 | — | |
| 11 | PLPolandReturn relief (ulga na powrót) | €2,661 | €3,082 | +€422 | €3,630Prices 73.3 · EU 100 | €4,205 |
All bars share one scale, up to €4,205, monthly average. A regime that doesn't apply at your salary ranks last when you sort by it.
A regime has conditions: you usually can't have lived in the country for several years before, it lasts a set number of years, and you have to apply. What each regime adds
What purchasing power means here
Purchasing power is net pay divided by the country's price level, so it says what your pay would buy if you spent it at EU-average prices. A price level of 115.6 means the same basket of household spending costs 15.6% more than the EU average. The levels are Eurostat's for 2025 (dataset prc_ppp_ind_1, EU27 = 100). They're national averages: a capital city usually costs more, and rent varies most.
Who these figures are for
A single employee with no children, employed for the whole of 2026, under the rules enacted for 2026. Spain is Catalonia, Italy is Milan and Switzerland is the city of Zurich, as in our calculators. Złoty, kroner and francs are converted at the rates on our methodology page.
Net pay is gross pay minus income tax (national, regional and local) and the employee's own social contributions. Employer contributions and VAT are not counted. Each country name in the ranking opens its calculator at your salary, with every line of the result and the laws it's built from.
Cite this study
You can quote and chart these figures with a link to this page. Suggested citation:
netlands, “Your salary, ranked across Europe”, rules checked 15 Nov 2026. https://www.netlands.co/en/data/salary-ranking-europe/