Italy vs Germany: same gross salary, two payslips
One input, two real 2026 tax engines — IRPEF, INPS and the impatriate regime on one side; §32a income tax, four social insurances and the Soli on the other. Plus the question nobody else answers: where do you reach €1M sooner?
🇮🇹 Italy
€2,905
net/month (13 payments) · €37,767/year · 37.1% total burden
Ordinary taxation, 2% local surcharges, 13 salary payments.
Adjusted to EU-average prices: €38,736/year of purchasing power
Investing 20% of net: €1M at age 64
🇩🇪 Germany
€3,174
net/month (12 payments) · €38,085/year · 36.5% total burden
Tax class I, statutory health insurance, no church tax, with children.
Adjusted to EU-average prices: €35,069/year of purchasing power
Investing 20% of net: €1M at age 64
On €60,000 gross, Germany leaves you €318/year more. Adjusted for national price levels (Eurostat 2024: IT 97.5, DE 108.6, EU27=100), Italy offers the higher purchasing power: €38,736 vs €35,069 in EU-average prices. At a 20% savings rate you reach €1,000,000 at about the same age (64). City-level costs can outweigh the national averages.
Net pay at a glance (2026)
| Gross | 🇮🇹 Italy | 🇮🇹 Italy (regime) | 🇩🇪 Germany |
|---|---|---|---|
| €40,000 | €28,057 | €35,466 | €27,217 |
| €50,000 | €32,712 | €43,124 | €32,758 |
| €60,000 | €37,767 | €50,720 | €38,085 |
| €80,000 | €47,756 | €64,381 | €48,756 |
| €100,000 | €57,746 | €78,117 | €58,925 |
Net yearly amounts computed by the same engines as our single-country calculators; assumptions: Ordinary taxation, 2% local surcharges, 13 salary payments. Tax class I, statutory health insurance, no church tax, with children. Purchasing-power adjustments use Eurostat 2024 price level indices. Report anything outdated to [email protected].
Frequently asked questions
Where is take-home pay higher, Italy or Germany?
Under ordinary taxation they are surprisingly close on mid salaries: at €60,000 gross, Germany nets ≈€38,100 (tax class I) and Italy ≈€37,750. Germany's much higher social contributions (~21% vs Italy's 9.19%) are offset by Italy's higher income tax rates and local surcharges. The picture flips hard for eligible relocators: Italy's impatriate regime pushes €60,000 to ≈€50,700 net — far ahead.
Why does Germany take so much social insurance?
German payroll funds pension, health, care and unemployment insurance at ~21% of gross for the employee (up to the ceilings) — but these buy entitlements: public pension points, full health coverage with no premiums beyond the contribution. Italy's employee share is 9.19% with the state covering more from general taxation. Net-pay comparisons don't capture these benefit differences.
What about cost of living?
The comparison adjusts net pay with Eurostat's official price level indices (2024, EU27=100): Italy at 97.5 vs Germany at 108.6 means a euro in Italy buys about 11% more than in Germany on national average. This flips close net-pay races: Italy's ordinary-taxation net at €60,000 is slightly below Germany's in euros, but ahead in purchasing power. City-level differences (Milan vs Leipzig) can outweigh national averages and are not modeled.
Who qualifies for Italy's impatriate regime?
Broadly: you move tax residence to Italy after 4+ years abroad, commit to staying 4+ years, and meet high-qualification requirements — then 50% of employment income (60% with a minor child) is income-tax-exempt for 5 years, up to €600,000/year. It's the single biggest lever in this comparison; verify your case with a professional.
Disclaimer: educational tool, not tax or relocation advice. Simplified single-employee models — benefits, pensions and cost of living differ beyond net pay. All comparisons: salary comparison hub · wealth side: FIRE calculator for Europe.