Which are the best cities in Germany for IT jobs? If you want to work in English, the answer is clear: Berlin and Munich. On Germany Dev Jobs they had more than half of all English-speaking tech jobs in October 2026. Munich pays software developers the most, followed by Stuttgart, Berlin and Frankfurt. Hamburg is a solid third market. Smaller cities such as Düsseldorf, Cologne, Stuttgart, Nuremberg and Dresden have fewer jobs in English, but some are strong in particular fields.
This guide compares the main cities on three things: how many English-speaking tech jobs there are, what software developers earn, and what rent costs. Job counts come from our board; pay and rents come from official sources.
The best German cities for software engineers at a glance
| City | English-speaking tech jobs on our board | Median pay, software developers (gross a month) | Visa sponsorship in ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| Berlin | 1,125 | €6,913 | 3% |
| Munich | 775 | €7,284 | 8% |
| Hamburg | 171 | €6,329 | 3% |
| Düsseldorf | 66 | €6,371 | 18% |
| Frankfurt | 64 | €6,822 | 0% |
| Cologne | 59 | €6,019 | 0% |
| Stuttgart | 51 | €6,926 | 0% |
| Dresden | 43 | €5,222 | 0% |
| Nuremberg | 31 | €6,868 | 0% |
| Leipzig | 12 | €5,306 | 0% |
| Germany | €6,301 |
Job counts and visa shares: city pages on Germany Dev Jobs on 16 October 2026. Pay: Federal Employment Agency Entgeltatlas, median for software developers doing highly complex work (occupation code 43414), full-time employees, end of 2025.
Two notes on reading this table:
- Our job counts cover only companies where English is the working language. The total job market in each city is larger, especially in cities where many employers work in German.
- Small numbers swing quickly. A share of 18% in Düsseldorf is 12 jobs; one employer adding or closing ads can change it.
What software developers earn in each city
The Entgeltatlas shows median monthly pay for full-time software developers at expert level, including one-off payments such as bonuses (Entgeltatlas help). End of 2025:
| City | Median | Lower quartile | Upper quartile | Employees counted |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Munich | €7,284 | €5,924 | above €8,050 | 19,589 |
| Stuttgart | €6,926 | €5,448 | €7,926 | 4,947 |
| Berlin | €6,913 | €5,540 | above €8,050 | 22,731 |
| Nuremberg | €6,868 | €5,511 | €7,907 | 5,084 |
| Frankfurt | €6,822 | €5,460 | above €8,050 | 5,248 |
| Düsseldorf | €6,371 | €5,276 | €7,798 | 3,218 |
| Hamburg | €6,329 | €5,126 | €7,615 | 9,318 |
| Cologne | €6,019 | €4,926 | €7,313 | 4,333 |
| Leipzig | €5,306 | €4,389 | €6,362 | 2,364 |
| Dresden | €5,222 | €4,387 | €6,158 | 2,925 |
Source: Entgeltatlas. Pay is recorded only up to the pension contribution ceiling of €8,050 a month in 2025, so “above €8,050” means the real upper quartile is higher but not shown.
The spread between cities is about €2,000 a month between Munich and Dresden. Berlin and Munich also have by far the most software developers: together over 42,000 of the 202,128 counted across Germany.
Our take-home pay guide shows what these salaries leave after tax. Tax and social contributions are the same in every German city.
What rent costs
Rent is where cities differ most. Each city measures its rent index (Mietspiegel) in its own way, so compare them with care:
| City | Rent index figure (existing contracts) | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Munich | €15.38 per m² (average, 2025) | City of Munich |
| Stuttgart | €11.15 per m² (average, 2025/2026 index) | City of Stuttgart |
| Hamburg | €9.94 per m² (median, April 2025) | City of Hamburg |
| Berlin | €7.71 per m² (median, 2026) | Berlin Senate |
Rent indexes include many old contracts, so newcomers pay more. For Berlin and Munich there are official figures for asking rents too: a median of €15.78 per m² in Berlin in 2025 (IBB) and an average of €22.93 per m² for re-let flats in Munich in the first half of 2026 (City of Munich). For other cities, check the local rent index and current listings before you compare offers.
Berlin: the largest market for English speakers
Berlin had 1,125 English-speaking tech jobs on our board on 16 October 2026, more than any other city. It has the most backend, product and machine learning jobs on the board, and 19% of its jobs were fully remote. Pay is close to Munich’s at the median, and rents for new contracts are much lower. If you want the widest choice of jobs in English, start here. See our Berlin cost of living guide.
Munich: highest pay, highest rent
Munich had 775 jobs, the highest median pay for software developers (€7,284) and the highest rents. It is the clear leader on our board for embedded jobs, with 72 against 12 in Berlin, and 8% of its jobs mentioned visa sponsorship, against 3% in Berlin and Hamburg. Our Berlin vs Munich guide compares the two in detail, and the Munich cost of living guide covers the budget.
Hamburg software developer jobs
Hamburg is the third-largest market on our board, with 171 English-speaking tech jobs on 16 October 2026. Employers with jobs listed included ABOUT YOU, Vattenfall, Airbus, ZEAL Network, Statista and NXP. Posted salaries ranged from €65,000 to €119,000 a year, though few ads stated pay. 11% of Hamburg jobs were fully remote, and 3% mentioned visa sponsorship, at companies including ABOUT YOU, adjoe and justDice.
Software developers in Hamburg earned a median of €6,329 a month, slightly above the national median, and Hamburg’s rent index (€9.94 per m², median) is well below Munich’s. For a developer who wants a big city with lower rents than Munich, Hamburg is worth a look. Browse jobs in Hamburg.
Frankfurt IT jobs
Frankfurt had 64 English-speaking tech jobs on our board on 16 October 2026. Employers with jobs listed included Allianz, IQVIA, Fortinet and Emma – The Sleep Company. Pay is high: software developers earned a median of €6,822 a month, and the upper quartile is above the €8,050 ceiling, as in Berlin and Munich. Few ads stated pay; the ones that did ranged from €62,000 to €130,000 a year.
Frankfurt has far fewer English-speaking jobs on our board than Berlin or Munich, and none of the Frankfurt ads mentioned visa sponsorship when we checked. If you are looking for Frankfurt jobs for English speakers, expect a smaller choice and check each ad’s language requirements. Browse jobs in Frankfurt.
Other cities worth a look
- Stuttgart: 51 jobs, the second-highest median pay (€6,926). Employers listed included Q.ANT, Applied Intuition, Sereact and Capgemini. Only 1 of the 51 jobs was fully remote.
- Düsseldorf: 66 jobs, with 18% mentioning visa sponsorship, the highest share of the cities in this guide. Employers listed included Trivago, Vodafone, Statkraft, METRO and IFS.
- Cologne: 59 jobs, many at Redcare Pharmacy, and 41% fully remote (24 jobs).
- Nuremberg: 31 jobs, mostly at Huawei and Nokia, with high pay for its size (€6,868 median).
- Dresden: 43 jobs, many in semiconductors at KLA, GlobalFoundries and Wandelbots. Pay is lower (€5,222 median).
- Leipzig and Karlsruhe: 12 and 20 jobs; Karlsruhe employers listed included Alpine Eagle, Ionos and Codesphere.
The employers named here are those with jobs listed on each city page on 16 October 2026; the lists change daily.
Which city in Germany has the most job opportunities?
For tech jobs in English, Berlin, by a wide margin. For the IT job market as a whole, official statistics count employees by city: in the Entgeltatlas, Berlin had 22,731 full-time software developers at expert level and Munich 19,589, far more than Hamburg (9,318) or any other city.
Nationally, the IT job market has cooled. The Federal Employment Agency reported that IT unemployment rose to 4.5% in 2025 and that reported vacancies fell, even though IT employment still grew by 2% (BA Statistics). Our German tech job market guide has the details.
How to choose
| If you want | Look first at |
|---|---|
| The most English-speaking jobs | Berlin, then Munich |
| The highest pay | Munich, Stuttgart, Berlin, Frankfurt |
| Lower rent with a big-city job market | Hamburg or Berlin |
| Embedded, hardware or semiconductor work | Munich, Dresden, Nuremberg |
| Visa sponsorship | Munich and Düsseldorf had the highest shares |
| Fully remote with a German employer | Cologne (41%) and Berlin (19%) |
If you need a visa, read the EU Blue Card guide; the salary thresholds are the same in every city. If you don’t have an offer yet, the Opportunity Card lets you search from inside Germany. Austria is another option: see working in Vienna as a developer.
Job counts, pay data and rents change. We link every source so you can check the latest figures.
Frequently asked questions
Which is the best city in Germany for software engineers?
For English speakers, Berlin has the most jobs and Munich the highest pay. On 16 October 2026 we listed 1,125 English-speaking tech jobs in Berlin and 775 in Munich. Munich’s median pay for software developers was €7,284 a month and Berlin’s €6,913, but Munich rents are much higher.
Is Germany good for IT jobs?
For experienced engineers, yes, though the market is tougher than a few years ago. IT employment grew 2% in 2025, but IT unemployment rose to 4.5%. Senior, AI, DevOps and embedded profiles are in the most demand on our board.
Are there software developer jobs in Hamburg for English speakers?
Yes. We listed 171 English-speaking tech jobs in Hamburg on 16 October 2026, at employers including ABOUT YOU, Vattenfall, Airbus and Statista. Software developers in Hamburg earned a median of €6,329 a month at the end of 2025.
Are there IT jobs in Frankfurt for English speakers?
Some. We listed 64 English-speaking tech jobs in Frankfurt on 16 October 2026, at employers including Allianz, IQVIA and Fortinet. Frankfurt pays well, with a median of €6,822 a month for software developers, but the choice of English-speaking jobs is much smaller than in Berlin or Munich.
Which German city has the cheapest rent for tech workers?
Of the cities with official rent figures in this guide, Berlin’s rent index is the lowest at €7.71 per m², but asking rents for new contracts are about €15.78 per m². For other cities, check the local rent index and current listings, and remember that pay also differs: Leipzig and Dresden have the lowest medians in this guide, about €5,300 and €5,200 a month.
Next steps
- Browse all tech jobs by city.
- See the city split in our October 2026 report.
- Compare pay with the salary guide.