Average net salary in Europe (2026): gross vs take-home by country

Gross averages, net reality

Average salary headlines are almost always gross. What lands in an account is the net, after income tax and social contributions. Because those deductions differ so much, countries with similar gross averages can have very different net averages.

The figures below are indicative 2026 estimates for a single employee with no dependents, in local currency.

Average gross to net by country

• •Germany: 54,066 EUR gross leaves about 24,084 EUR net (55.5% effective).
• •United Kingdom: 39,039 GBP gross leaves about 31,628 GBP net (19.0% effective).
• •Netherlands: 50,000 EUR gross leaves about 40,273 EUR net (19.5% effective).
• •France: 40,000 EUR gross leaves about 29,387 EUR net (26.5% effective).
• •Italy: 36,000 EUR gross leaves about 24,703 EUR net (31.4% effective).
• •Spain: 31,000 EUR gross leaves about 21,520 EUR net (30.6% effective).
• •Portugal: 22,000 EUR gross leaves about 15,755 EUR net (28.4% effective).
• •Hungary: 8,460,168 HUF gross leaves about 5,626,012 HUF net (33.5% effective).
• •Romania: 104,592 RON gross leaves about 61,186 RON net (41.5% effective).
• •Bulgaria: 16,000 EUR gross leaves about 12,195 EUR net (23.8% effective).
• •Denmark: 520,000 DKK gross leaves about 343,763 DKK net (33.9% effective).

Minimum-wage take-home

Where a statutory minimum wage exists, the net is often a much larger share of gross, because low earners sit in lower tax bands or benefit from allowances.

• •Germany: a minimum of 2,343 EUR a month leaves about 1,340 EUR net.
• •United Kingdom: a minimum of 2,065 GBP a month leaves about 1,780 GBP net.
• •Netherlands: a minimum of 2,295 EUR a month leaves about 1,927 EUR net.
• •France: a minimum of 1,867 EUR a month leaves about 1,418 EUR net.
• •Spain: a minimum of 1,221 EUR a month leaves about 900 EUR net.
• •Portugal: a minimum of 920 EUR a month leaves about 697 EUR net.
• •Romania: a minimum of 4,325 RON a month leaves about 2,617 RON net.
• •Hungary: a minimum of 322,800 HUF a month leaves about 214,662 HUF net.
• •Bulgaria: a minimum of 620 EUR a month leaves about 473 EUR net.

What averages miss

• •Averages are pulled up by high earners; medians are usually lower.
• •Purchasing power matters as much as the number — an average net buys very different baskets across Europe.
• •Special regimes for newcomers can beat the standard average.
• •Entity type, family status and region change the result substantially.

Find your own number

Averages are a starting point, not a promise. Enter your actual salary on the country calculator, then use the compare tool to see what it would be worth elsewhere.