Best Countries for Software Engineers to Move to

Hiring overseas tech talent can help companies remain maximally competitive and to stay on the cutting edge of the tech industry. So too, pursuing overseas opportunities can help software engineers themselves to achieve numerous career benefits, such as higher salaries, a better quality of life, and more flexible working conditions.

There are a number of countries which offer especially appealing environments for software engineers, such as the US, Portugal, and Germany. Portugal, for example, is often associated with its Digital Nomad program, which allows non-EU workers to live and work in Portugal so long as they have a sufficient overseas source of income.

When deciding on your next location as a software engineer, there are a number of considerations to keep in mind. These include preferred salary, work-life balance, working environment, and global location. The country which is right for you will depend on your particular circumstances, visa eligibility, and preferences.

In the following sections, a number of the top-choice countries for software engineers looking to move overseas will be explored in more detail.

Page Contents

• Overview of Best Countries for Software Engineers
• United States
• United Kingdom
• Switzerland
• Denmark
• Spain
• Germany
• Portugal
• Canada
• Factors to Consider When Choosing a Country to Work in
• Salaries for Software Engineers by Country
• Salaries for Software Engineers by Technology
• Salaries for Software Engineers by Level
• Which country has the highest demand for software engineers?
• Highest-paying countries for software engineers
• How can Total Law help?
• Frequently Asked Questions

The US is a popular choice amongst software engineers looking to move overseas. While the work culture can often be demanding, salaries are also amongst the highest, meaning that US software engineers will often have higher earning potential and spending power.

Popular US destinations for software engineers include San Jose, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington D.C, although many other major US cities also have well-paid software engineer openings.

Average software engineer salaries in the US vary by city, as shown in the below Codesubmit data:

In Silicon Valley in particular, tech salaries are especially high, as this is the hub of much global tech innovation.

A common route for overseas workers looking to work as a software engineer in the US is the H-1B visa. This visa requires US employer sponsorship and is generally granted for an initial period of 3 years, after which point it can be extended for another 3 years, and provides a route to US permanent settlement and citizenship.

The UK is another popular choice with software engineers looking to move overseas. Salaries are generally high and working hours are generally moderate compared to countries like the US and Japan. The UK offers numerous benefits, including a rich culture, beautiful countryside, and strong travel connections.

Popular software engineer locations within the UK include London, Edinburgh, Manchester, and Birmingham.

Average software engineer salaries in the UK vary by city, as shown in the below Codesubmit data:

For overseas workers looking to move to the UK to work as a software engineer, the Skilled Worker visa is a common route. This visa requires a job offer and sponsorship from a registered UK employer and will generally be granted for up to 5 years, after which point you can apply for permanent settlement status.

Switzerland is a common choice for overseas software engineers, providing access to one of the highest international salaries in the field and to a country with beautiful nature and a rich culture.

Common software engineer hotspots in Switzerland include Zurich, Bern, and Zug.

According to Codesubmit, the average software engineer salary in Switzerland is $97,518, although no data is provided for individual cities.

For software engineers looking to move to Switzerland, a Swiss company will first need to make you an offer of work and will then apply for a Work permit on your behalf.

Denmark is another popular international destination for software engineers, as are its other Scandinavian neighbours. Living and working in Denmark offers access to a high quality of life, beautiful nature, and easy access to the rest of Scandinavia, making it an appealing destination for many.

Common cities for Danish software engineer openings include Copenhagen and Aarhus.

Average Danish software engineer salaries vary by city, as shown in the below Codesubmit data:

For international workers looking to move to Denmark as a software engineer, Denmark offers a number of routes. For instance, the Pay Limit Scheme allows you to quickly obtain a Danish Work permit if you have been offered a highly-paid job by a Danish company.

Spain attracts many international software engineers, largely owing to its warm climate, high quality of life, and easy access to the rest of the EU.

Popular locations for software engineers within Spain include Madrid, Barcelona, Valencia, and Malaga.

According to Glassdoor, the average software engineer salary in Spain is approximately $52,000, meaning working as a software engineer in Spain offers access to good spending power and a high quality of life, given lower Spanish living costs compared to some of the other locations explored in this article.

If you receive a job offer from a Spanish company, they can apply for a Work permit on your behalf. Spain also offers a popular Digital Nomad visa for remote workers earning a sufficient monthly income from a non-Spanish source.

Germany is one of Europe’s tech hotspots and so is increasingly popular with software engineers from around the globe. Germany offers a rich culture, good work-life balance, high quality of life, and easy access to beautiful nature.

Popular locations for software engineers working in Germany include Munich, Berlin, and Hamburg.

Average software engineer salaries in Germany vary by city, as shown in the below Codesubmit data:

For international workers looking to move to Germany as a software engineer, popular routes include the EU Blue Card and the Settlement Permit for Highly-Qualified Workers. Both also allow some flexibility in the case of unemployment and switching to a new employment place.

Portugal is an especially popular choice amongst software engineers, largely owing to its Digital Nomad visa. It offers excellent food, beautiful architecture, and numerous areas of natural beauty. It is also well-connected to the rest of the EU.

Popular locations within Portugal for software engineers include Portugal and Lisbon.

According to Glassdoor, the average software engineer salary in Portugal is approximately $50,000.

A popular route for non-EU software developers who already have an existing income is to enter Portugal via the Digital Nomad visa, which allows individuals earning a sufficient income from a non-Portuguese source to live and work in Portugal indefinitely.

Canada is a popular North American location for international software engineers. It offers a cooler climate, high quality of living, beautiful nature, and easy access to the US.

Popular cities amongst software engineers living in Canada include Toronto, Vancouver, and Montreal.

Average software engineer salaries vary by city, as shown in the below Codesubmit data:

A popular route for international software engineers looking to move to Canada is the Global Talent Stream, which offers fast-track Work permits to highly-qualified international talent.

When choosing your next work location, there are numerous factors to take into consideration. For instance, you should make sure to consider the following:

• What is the earning potential? Certain countries, such as the US, are associated with significantly higher salaries. Countries like Portugal, on the other hand, offer lower salaries but also offer a Digital Nomad visa, meaning you can retain a higher salary from elsewhere while also being based in Portugal.
• What is your preferred global region? If you prefer to be based in North America, countries like the US and Canada are likely to be the best fits. On the other hand, countries like Germany, the UK, and Portugal are good choices for those seeking a European base.
• Is there an established expat community? For those seeking software engineer positions overseas, it is often important to join existing expat networks, which can help ease the transition into international living.
• What are the visa options? While many countries may offer appealing work environments for software engineers, there may also be limits on the number of Work visas which are granted, as in the US.
• What is the work-life balance? Certain countries offer more of a work-life balance than others. Countries like Germany and Portugal tend to be associated with a greater balance, for example, whereas work hours in countries like the US and Japan are often far longer.

What is the cost of living? It is important to consider how expensive it is to live in the countries you are choosing between. For example, while average software engineer salaries are often higher in Scandinavia and the US, the cost of living is also generally higher, meaning that your quality of life may not be significantly higher than in countries which offer lower salaries but also have a lower cost of living, such as Portugal and Spain.

Salaries for software engineers are often higher than many other salaries in the same location. However, what each country pays software engineers varies significantly. Codesubmit offers data on average software engineer salaries in a number of different countries, some of which are offered in the table below:

As seen in the above table, software engineering jobs in each of these countries often offer a high salary, though they are significantly higher in some countries than in others. The highest paying countries are generally the US and Switzerland, with France and Ireland coming lower. As such, professionals are often especially drawn to locations like the US, where spending power is often particularly high for software development workers and job opportunities are common.

Salaries for software engineers often also vary according to the technology or coding language with which the employee works. Working with coding languages or technologies which are more in-demand will often lead to higher salaries, for example.

Codesubmit offers data on the average software engineer salaries in different countries by technology/coding language, some of which are shown in the table below:

In general, salaries vary according to coding language and the current direction of tech innovation. As new languages and technologies continue to emerge, different skills will become more in-demand, as will likely be reflected in the salaries on offer.

Software engineer salaries vary significantly not only between countries but also between levels of seniority. In general, the salaries for senior developers are significantly higher than the salaries for junior developers.

The following table provides some insight into this, using data from Codesubmit:

As the table shows, average senior developer salaries are especially high in the US and Switzerland. However, senior developers generally earn higher than the national average, across countries, and so the location which is right for you will depend on a range of factors including your preferred climate, global region, work-life balance, and quality of life.

While numerous countries have job openings for software engineers, some countries have a greater demand than others.

Countries such as the US, Switzerland, Denmark, and Germany are all major tech hubs and all have particularly high demand for software engineers, and national salaries tend to reflect this. Software engineers are particularly well-imbursed in each of these countries, whereas countries with less demand for software engineers will generally offer less competitive salaries.

However, it is worth noting that even in cases where the country in question has a high level of demand for software engineers, it may still be difficult to secure a job offer from that country. Sponsoring an international worker can be expensive and so obtaining a job offer from an overseas company can often take time.

In general, software engineers earn a higher salary than the national average, as they possess skills which are especially in demand in the contemporary workplace. Continued technological advancements mean that software engineers are important employees for many companies, which is reflected in their average pay.

However, some countries offer higher salaries than others. In the US, for example, software engineers earn an average of $167,420 in San Jose – the heart of the US tech scene. In Switzerland, senior developers earn an average of $127,693. Salaries can also be very high in Denmark, where Python and Java programmers earn an average salary of around $102, 000.

However, it is worth noting that these countries also have a high cost of living, meaning that the higher average salaries do not necessarily equate to a significantly higher quality of life. This will depend on a range of factors, such as your lifestyle, particular city, and seniority level.