Compare remote job salaries between Europe and USA. Understand the salary arbitrage opportunity for EU workers at US companies.
Based on 10,880 job descriptions with salary data. Select a country to see location-specific salary insights.
Most common skills in job listings: Leadership, Project Management, and Communication Skills. Compare salary ranges across skills.
Most common industries: Software Development, Healthcare, and Software as a Service (SaaS). Compare salary ranges across industries.
This analysis is based on advertised salary ranges from job descriptions on Remoote.app. Actual compensation may vary based on negotiation, benefits, and cost of living.
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Data updated daily from our live job database. Statistics last verified: January 16, 2026.
European remote workers considering US employment face a straightforward calculation: American companies pay more. Our database of 78,751 remote jobs with salary data shows the gap clearly. US-based remote positions average $134,000 to $182,000 annually, while European remote jobs average $102,000 to $148,000. That 30-35% differential represents a significant opportunity for qualified European talent willing to work across time zones.
The appeal goes beyond raw numbers. A software developer in Lisbon earning a San Francisco salary enjoys purchasing power that local employment simply cannot match. Meanwhile, US companies access deep talent pools in countries with strong technical education systems and lower salary expectations. Both sides capture value that traditional geographic employment constraints prevented. This page breaks down the salary data by region, role, and country to help you understand exactly where the opportunities lie.
Before diving into specific roles, here's the headline comparison across all remote positions in our database.
| Region | Jobs with Salary Data | Average Salary Range | Median Salary Range |
|---|---|---|---|
| United States | 25,545 | $134,000 - $182,000 | $115,000 - $160,000 |
| Europe (All Countries) | 64,040 | $102,000 - $148,000 | $100,000 - $135,000 |
The US commands a premium at every level. Even at the median, American remote salaries exceed European averages by $13,000 to $25,000 annually. For European workers, this creates two distinct opportunities: either target US companies directly for maximum compensation, or use the salary arbitrage knowledge to negotiate better rates with European employers competing for the same talent.
The US salary premium varies significantly by role. Technical positions show the widest gaps, while some creative and operational roles see smaller differentials. Understanding these variations helps you target your job search effectively.
Software engineering shows one of the most pronounced US premiums, reflecting the intense competition for technical talent among American tech companies.
| Region | Jobs Available | Average Salary Range |
|---|---|---|
| USA | 6,348 | $145,000 - $202,000 |
| Europe (All) | 21,406 | $126,000 - $183,000 |
The $19,000 gap at the lower end and $19,000 gap at the upper end represents roughly 15% more compensation for equivalent work. For a senior engineer, that translates to an additional $15,000-$25,000 annually. Over a five-year period, you're looking at $75,000-$125,000 in additional earnings by targeting US employers rather than local European companies.
Product management roles show similar geographic premiums. US companies building global products increasingly hire European PMs for their market perspective, often at rates that exceed local European salaries significantly. Based on our data, US product manager positions typically range from $140,000 to $195,000, while European equivalents fall between $110,000 and $165,000.
Data roles follow the engineering pattern. US companies competing for quantitative talent have pushed compensation upward aggressively. European data scientists can expect a 20-30% increase when moving to US remote employment, though competition for these positions is correspondingly intense.
Not all European countries offer equivalent compensation. Western European nations cluster toward the top, while Eastern European markets offer lower salaries but also lower cost of living. Here's the breakdown by country for remote positions with salary data.
| Country | Jobs with Salary Data | Average Salary Range |
|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | 2,483 | $106,000 - $158,000 |
| Germany | 1,782 | $105,000 - $151,000 |
| France | 1,536 | $104,000 - $160,000 |
| Ireland | 1,522 | $105,000 - $149,000 |
| Netherlands | 1,565 | $104,000 - $148,000 |
| Spain | 1,704 | $103,000 - $157,000 |
| Switzerland | 1,508 | $104,000 - $150,000 |
| Sweden | 1,517 | $104,000 - $149,000 |
| Italy | 1,610 | $103,000 - $150,000 |
| Portugal | 1,499 | $103,000 - $147,000 |
| Poland | 1,665 | $99,000 - $152,000 |
The UK leads Europe in remote compensation, with average ranges approaching the lower bounds of US salaries. Germany and France follow closely. Eastern European countries like Poland show lower base salaries but often offer stronger cost-of-living advantages, making the effective purchasing power more competitive.
Notice that even the highest-paying European country (UK) still falls roughly $28,000-$24,000 below US averages at both ends of the salary range. This gap exists despite the UK's high cost of living in cities like London, which partly erodes the US advantage when comparing purchasing power.
Salary arbitrage occurs when you earn compensation benchmarked to one economy while living in another with lower costs. For European remote workers, the opportunity works as follows: earn US-level salaries (or salaries adjusted toward US rates) while benefiting from European cost structures, healthcare systems, and quality of life.
Consider a concrete example. A senior software engineer in Lisbon might earn EUR 85,000 (roughly $92,000) working for a Portuguese company. The same engineer working remotely for a US company could earn $160,000-$180,000. Even after accounting for tax differences and potential contractor overhead, the take-home difference often exceeds $40,000-$60,000 annually. Meanwhile, their cost of living in Lisbon remains identical regardless of employer geography.
This arbitrage is most powerful in countries with strong quality of life but moderate local salaries: Portugal, Spain, Poland, Czech Republic, and the Baltic states. The gap narrows in Switzerland or London, where local salaries are already high and cost of living is equally elevated.
Important: This information provides general context, not tax advice. Consult a qualified cross-border tax professional before making decisions about international employment.
Working for a US company from Europe involves navigating complex legal territory. Most European workers fall into one of three structures:
Tax obligations depend entirely on your country of residence, not your employer's location. EU tax residency rules generally kick in after 183 days of presence in a country. Tax treaties between the US and most European nations prevent double taxation, but you'll still owe taxes somewhere, and rates vary dramatically by country.
If you're already legally resident in an EU country, working remotely for a US company generally doesn't require US work authorization since you're not physically working in the United States. You remain subject to your local country's employment law and tax system. However, verify this with a legal professional if your situation involves any complexity, such as dual citizenship or plans to travel to the US for work purposes.
Not all companies offer equivalent compensation regardless of location. Understanding employer approaches to geographic pay helps you target your search effectively.
Some remote-first companies pay the same salary regardless of where employees live. These companies believe that pay should reflect the value of work, not the accident of geography. Examples include certain positions at companies like Basecamp, some roles at Buffer, and various smaller startups that have adopted this philosophy. Location-agnostic pay is the best-case scenario for European workers, offering full US compensation without relocation.
More commonly, companies adjust salaries by location but still pay above local market rates. A company might offer 80-90% of their US salary benchmark to European employees, which often still exceeds local European compensation by significant margins. Companies like GitLab and others have published their geographic compensation formulas, allowing you to calculate expected offers before applying.
When searching for remote positions, look for signals that suggest favorable geographic pay policies:
On remoote.app, filter for positions explicitly available in your country or marked as "Worldwide" to find employers already set up for international hiring. Our database currently includes 858,425 active remote positions from 17,686 companies, with clear geographic requirements on each listing.
European workers seeking US-level compensation should approach their job search strategically. The opportunities are real, but competition for these positions is correspondingly high.
Certain technical skills are in such demand that companies will pay premium rates regardless of location. Based on our salary data, these include:
European workers benefit from natural timezone overlap with US East Coast business hours. A developer in London working 9 AM to 5 PM GMT overlaps with New York from 9 AM to 1 PM EST, providing 4+ hours of synchronous collaboration time. This overlap makes European workers more attractive than candidates in Asia-Pacific time zones for US companies valuing real-time communication.
Some positions require more overlap than others. Customer-facing roles often need significant US business hours availability, while asynchronous engineering work may require minimal overlap. Understand the requirement before applying, and be realistic about whether you can sustainably maintain the hours required.
Explore more salary data and job opportunities on remoote.app:
Ready to explore the salary arbitrage opportunity? Use the search filters above to find remote positions by salary range and geographic availability. remoote.app currently tracks 858,425 verified remote positions from 17,686 companies. Filter by "United States" as the company location combined with your country in the "Available In" filter to find US employers actively hiring European remote workers. With new positions added daily and filled roles removed, you're seeing only active opportunities worth your application time.