Top 5 best countries for software engineers

Which are the best countries for software engineers?

Over time, the world is experiencing a global surge in the demand for Software engineers as technology continues to define and shape the world.

Hence some countries are beginning to put in the effort to create easy and fast visa processes, low taxes for tech talent, and other benefits in order to attract technical expatriates to their country.

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best countries for software engineers

Comparing the datasets obtained from Google trends, Payscale, and Indeed, we can find that the top countries for Software engineers have not changed much over time.

The United States of America (USA), Germany, Denmark, Norway, the Netherlands, Finland, Israel, Australia, and the UK are unarguably some of the best places to work as a software engineer.

But, What is the average earning power of software engineers in these countries? What skillset or tech stack gets more pay? 

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The basis of the conclusion:

The best country to work as a Software engineer is one that offers you high Demand for software engineering skills and good pay.

However, this conclusion is liable to your personal preferences. Considering some factors such as language barrier, weather conditions, are also important in this context. 

Is the USA a good place for software engineers?

The USA is one of the most popular places in the world best known for its military strength, economic dominance, and technological innovations. Making it one of the best destinations for a Software engineer.

Average salary structure for software engineers in the USA

Indeed states that a Software engineer in the USA earns an average of $110K per year. This places the USA in the upper curve in Software engineering remuneration in North America.

According to the job hierarchy.

  • A junior Software engineer in the USA earns about $106K.
  • Senior software engineers are paid about $133K per year. 
  • Software engineer salary per month in the USA stands at about $9,166.

According to the tech stack

united states salary 1

From the chart above, you can deduce the following:

  • iOS and Android software engineers are paid the most in the Us with their salaries ranging about $122K and $121K per year respectively.
  • Python Software engineers earn about $110K while their JavaScript counterparts reach a payment range of about $112K yearly.
  • An average Java Software engineer in the USA earns about $103K.
  • PHP Software engineers in the USA stand at about $90,707 while C# developers are paid around $82,490 per year.
  • .NET Software engineers in the USA earn about  $96,937 per year which is the lowest compared to other technology stacks.
  • C++ developer Software engineer salary in the USA is $104K per year.

Is Germany a good place for Software engineers?

Germany is an incredible place to be as a software engineer. Cities such as Hamburg, Stuttgart, and Munich house some of the biggest tech companies and startups.

Berlin, the capital of Germany which is often considered the Silicon Allee in the tech community is home to big companies such as Facebook, Google, Microsoft, and successful startups such as Uber, N26 and a host of others also has a good foothold in this country. Hence, Germany is never the wrong place to consider for migration for Software engineering work.

The demand for developers and software engineers in Germany is always high, which can be tracked by IT  jobs actively posted on job search websites.

Average salary structure for software engineers in Germany

According to the job hierarchy.

  • A junior software engineer with at least one year of experience takes home about €46,293 while,
  • mid-level software engineers in Germany make an average of €59,294 per annum and,
  • Senior engineers make about €63,957 

According to the tech stack

Let’s compare the earnings of different tech stacks in Germany.

Germany average salary

From the table above, we can deduce that Germany has a good distribution of developers across different tech stacks and the payment disparity across different stacks is minimal here.

  • C++, iOS, and Android Software engineers in Germany have the highest salaries in comparison to other technologies.
  • PHP software engineers in Germany earn the lowest pay which is about $56,777.
  • .NET Software engineers earn about $60,949 in Germany.  
  • Python and Java software engineers earn about $59,544 and $60,949 respectively.
  • JavaScript and Front-end software engineer salary in Germany stands at about $58K.
  • On average, С# Software engineers in Germany earn about $57,124.
  • Full-Stack Software engineers earn well here, as their payment stands at about  $61,174 per year.

Apart from high payment, you can also enjoy the following while working with German firms:

  • Good amount and selection of benefits
  • Above-average holidays
  • A fair amount of working hours
  • Good working conditions.

Is Switzerland a good place for Software engineers?

Switzerland is an amazing country with beautiful scenery. The amazing mountains, heaps of lakes, and beautiful villages make Switzerland stand out as a good destination for living. 

Switzerland is considered the highest paying country in Europe. This makes it a good place for Software engineers to settle and work.

Average salary structure for software engineers in Switzerland 

On average, Software engineers in Switzerland are paid about CHF 84,934, according to PayScale.

According to the job hierarchy

  • Junior Software engineers in Switzerland can earn up to CHF 78,056 per year, while 
  • senior engineers earn approximately CHF 112,940.​ 

According to the tech stack

Switzerland average salary

According to the table above, we can deduce that software engineers in Switzerland are fairly well paid.

  • At $93,436, Android developers in Switzerland are considered to be the lowest-paid when compared to other technology stacks. 
  • Front-end Software engineers earn about  $98,426 on average in Switzerland.
  • Python developer salary in Switzerland is $97,772.
  • PHP and Full-stack software engineers earn about $95,468 and $100,499 respectively.
  •  C# software engineers in Switzerland can earn about $112,315 per year, 
  • Java and C++ make $101,022 and $100,606 respectively. 
  • C# and .NET, which reach $112,315 and $113,790 are considered to be the most paid in this country.
  • Averagely, the iOS Software engineer earns about $105,262.

Is Denmark a good place for Software developers?

Denmark is a beautiful country well known for its outstanding and high-quality design and architecture, housing the happiest people on earth. This country is a really good to live and work as a software engineer because of the relative peacefulness and coziness this country offers.

Average salary structure for software engineers in Denmark 

Depending on experience level, a Software engineer in Denmark earns about DKK 443,273 per year. Copenhagen, the capital of Denmark pays more for Software engineers at the rate of  DKK 527,184 which is more than the national average, according to Glassdoor.

According to the job hierarchy

  • A junior Software engineer makes about 419,789Kr in Denmark
  • 525,208 Kr is the average pay for mid-level software engineers.
  • Senior software engineers make about 542,488Kr in Denmark

According to the tech stack

Denmark average salary

From the table above, we find that the top languages that predominate in this country are Java, C#, C++, .Net, and Javascript.

  • JavaScript Software engineers are paid about $67k per year. 
  • C# Software engineers are paid low when compared to other technology stacks, they earn about 69K per year in Denmark.
  • At $79,246, Python software developers in Denmark are paid the most.
  • Familiarity with .NET technology can earn a Software engineer about $71,070 here in Denmark.
  • The average Java and C++ developer salary in Denmark is $74,874 and $78,473 respectively.

Is Norway a good place for Software engineers?

Norway is a land of phenomenal natural wonders. This country is well known for its midnight sun, magical skies, phenomenal fjords, lakes, oil production, and for being eco-friendly.

This is definitely a place to enjoy life well.

Average salary structure for software engineers in Norway 

According to data published by Payscale, Software engineers in Oslo tend to earn higher than the national average salary. Glassdoor places the salary of Software engineers in Norway at an average of NOK 547,248 yearly.

According to the job hierarchy

  • Junior programmers earn NOK 488,934 on average, 
  • middle developers earn NOK 598,947 per year, 
  • Senior developer salaries in Norway are NOK 723,049

According to the tech stack

Norway average salary 1
  • PHP software engineers are paid the lowest in Norway among other technologies experts — they earn about $53,753.
  • iOS software engineer’s salary in Norway is about $58,659, while C++ software engineer’s salary range is about $64,935.
  • JavaScript Software engineers’ payment can reach about $66,386 per year. 
  • Python and Android engineer salaries in Norway are around $70K.
  • C# Software engineers are paid about $67,450  while .NET software engineers salary reaches to $69,705 per year.
  • Java engineers in Norway earn the highest— reaching about $72,283.

Bonus: Top 5 countries to live in and work remotely

Thailand:  Thailand is one of the best places to live in and work remotely as the cost of living is quite good and affordable. The cost of living ranges from  $787.71 to $998.66 per month with an average internet speed of 22 Mbps. 

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Iceland:  Iceland has a Work in Iceland program which permits remote workers to live and work in the country for up to six months. Bloomberg states that one must be making at least  $88,000 annually, to be able to travel here on a Nomad visa, having proper health insurance through working for an ice-land company or doing remote work.

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Singapore:  This country is quiet and beautiful with a serene environment as well as open for remote workers. The cost of living here is about $2,564.20 per month on average. The internet speed here is about  89 Mbps, which is moderate for a good remote working experience.

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Maldives: This country is one of the best countries for software engineers for remote working. The cost of living here per month is about $1,120.78, while the internet speed stands at about 4 Mbps, with a minimal number of activities.

This means you get a relatively quiet environment to do your work and also enjoy some good time with the vibrant culture the country is well known for.

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Estonia: Digital Nomad Visa in Estonia permits remote workers to live and work in Estonia for up to one year in the northern part of the country. This visa usually costs about $94 and $117 and that is if you plan to stay long in the country.

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To obtain this visa, one must have to reach a gross income requirement of $4,130 per month for six months period before their application which is proof of employment as a freelancer or gainful employment in a company or business registered outside the country.

One important point here is that Estonia, just like some other countries in the European Union, is not

accessible to most Americans at this time.

frequently asked questions

Which country is best for you as software developer?

The choice of the country to migrate to depends on what you really need. If high payment is a major concern for you, then you should consider moving to places such as the United States, UK, and Denmark as Software engineers are paid considerably higher in these countries.

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Pretty woman working at her home office, smiling end enjoying time at her living room.

However, if living in a serene environment more than good pay is a top priority for you, then consider settling down in countries such as Denmark, Germany, Switzerland, and the Netherlands.

But if you ask me, I would say that the best country for a Software developer to live in is one where s(he) can find peace. If you already have this,  it would enable your work/life balance immensely.

However, if you’re looking to explore or just to get the experience working abroad, then I believe that our list in this article would enable you to make a fine decision of where to migrate to as a Software engineer.

which country is best for studying software engineering?

The best place to study software engineering is the United States.

The US is a large country, which means there are many opportunities for students to find work after their studies. It also has a high-quality education system, which means that graduates can find jobs in all areas of software engineering, from large companies such as Google and Microsoft to small startups and start-ups.

In addition, the US has a lot of companies that specialize in developing software for use in other industries such as healthcare or manufacturing.

These companies often hire graduates with experience from other industries and backgrounds so they can learn from each other. This approach helps create an ecosystem where everyone is working towards the same goal: designing better software for customers.

which country has the most software companies?

The software industry is huge. The top 100 global software companies are worth $1.1 trillion, or about 11% of the entire global GDP.

The US is home to nearly half (46%) of all software companies in the world, followed by India (19%), China (17%), and Japan (12%).

Software companies are not just huge, they also tend to be very profitable. Most of these companies have revenue between $200 million and $1 billion per year.

which country is best for software engineering jobs ?

The best country for software engineering jobs is,  the U.S.

The U.S. is the most popular destination for IT professionals and it has a large number of companies that are looking for talent. The country is also known for its diversity, which is great if you want to work on any project you want.

The cost of living in the U.S. is also very low so there’s no need to worry about paying expensive bills or living in a place with high rent prices. The unemployment rate in the U.S. was 4 percent in May 2019, which means that there are plenty of opportunities available if you’re willing to move here from another country or city.

If you want to work remotely then this country should be your first choice as there are many companies that offer remote working options and they don’t mind hiring people from other countries as long as they have good knowledge and skills in this area.”

which country has the highest demand for software engineers ?

The United States has the highest demand for software engineers. You will find that you are one of the best in this field. There are many jobs available for skilled software engineers and you can get hired easily. You will always be in demand for your skills and experience.

Conclusion

From our research, The USA, Denmark, Switzerland, Netherlands, and Germany, made it into our top list as good destinations for software engineers. And as stated before, this is not an absolute list and the choice of where to migrate is completely in your hands.

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