Netherlands
Latest Average Wage
−2.0% · 5 years
$80,136
Country Comparison
Netherlands vs Germany
Compare average wages, long-term wage changes and eight consumer price categories using OECD data.
At a Glance
Netherlands
vs
Germany
$80,1362025
Latest Average Wage
Netherlands +5.0%
(vs Germany)
$76,2852025
−2.0%2025
5-Year Wage Change
Germany +4.0 pts
(vs Netherlands)
+2.0%2025
−3.1%2025
10-Year Wage Change
Germany +10.2 pts
(vs Netherlands)
+7.1%2025
78.42024
Overall Price Level
Netherlands +6.9 index points
(vs Germany)
71.52024
Wages are PPP-adjusted average annual wages; price levels use the United States reference of 100. Years shown are each country's latest reported observation.
How Wages Have Changed
Follow PPP-adjusted average annual wages in constant prices across both economies.
USD PPP, constant prices · missing years shown as gaps, never interpolated
Germany
Latest Average Wage
+2.0% · 5 years
$76,285
Wage Milestones
Netherlands
10 Years Ago
$82,711 (2015)
Historical Peak
$83,103 (2016)
Latest Wage
$80,136 (2025)
Germany
10 Years Ago
$71,244 (2015)
Historical Peak
$76,285 (2025)
Latest Wage
$76,285 (2025)
Compare Everyday Price Levels
See how eight consumer price categories compare with the United States reference value of 100.
United States = 100 · Differences shown in index points
Netherlands (NLD)Germany (DEU)
Overall
+6.9 index points
100
78.4vs71.5
Food
−4.3 index points
100
84.4vs88.7
Clothing
−7.7 index points
100
82.7vs90.4
Housing
+9.0 index points
100
73.1vs64.1
Health
+10.1 index points
100
60.8vs50.7
Transport
+5.0 index points
100
119vs114
Recreation
+3.4 index points
100
90vs86.6
Restaurants & Accommodation
+8.1 index points
100
99.2vs91.1
What Stands Out
01
Latest Wage Gap
Netherlands' latest average wage is $80,136 for 2025, about 5.0% higher than Germany's $76,285 for 2025 — a percentage worked out directly from the two reported figures. That is roughly $3,852 a year on the same PPP basis.
02
Stronger Recent Trend
On the latest one-year change, Germany shows the stronger movement at +1.9%, against +1.9% for Netherlands. The five-year horizon keeps the same ordering: +2.0% against −2.0%. Both percentages are real, PPP-adjusted changes from the reported wage series.
03
Largest Price Gap
Health shows the widest price gap of the comparable categories in 2024: 60.8 for Netherlands against 50.7 for Germany. That is a separation of 10.1 index points on the US=100 scale, with Netherlands on the higher side and Germany on the lower one. Index points are not percentages; the two scales answer different questions.
04
Closest Price Category
The closest category is Recreation: Netherlands reads 90 and Germany 86.6 for 2024, just 3.4 index points apart on the US=100 scale. The next closest is Food at 4.3 index points apart. Closeness here describes the index readings only, not the baskets behind them.
Understanding the Comparison
Wage Position
Netherlands' latest PPP-adjusted average wage is $80,136 for 2025, moderately higher than Germany's $76,285 for 2025. In relative terms the gap is 5.0% — calculated from the two reported values — equivalent to about $3,852 a year on the same purchasing-power basis. Both figures are expressed in USD PPP at constant 2025 prices, so they can be set side by side without any further conversion. Over ten years Netherlands recorded −3.1% against Germany's +7.1%, so the current levels were reached on visibly different long-term paths. The wage milestones above show how each side arrived at its current level, year by year.
Wage Direction
The two wage series are moving in opposite directions — and the gap between them is narrowing as a result. Netherlands is partway through a recovery: the latest year added +1.9%, though the level remains 3.6% below its peak. Germany sits at the highest point of its series — $76,285 in 2025 is also the historical peak, with a ten-year change of +7.1%. Because Germany — the lower of the two latest wage levels — is the side currently gaining in real terms (+2.0% over five years against −2.0%), the distance between the two is shrinking on these measures rather than growing.
Price Profile
Netherlands' overall consumer price level for 2024 reads 78.4, and Germany's reads 71.5, each measured against the United States reference of 100. Netherlands reads higher in 6 of the 8 comparable categories, so the price profile leans consistently to one side. The widest separation is in Health: 60.8 for Netherlands against 50.7 for Germany, a gap of 10.1 index points. At the other end, Recreation brings the two closest — 90 versus 86.6, a gap of just 3.4 index points. Relative to the US benchmark, Netherlands reads above 100 in 1 of its 8 reported categories, and Germany in 1 of its 8.
Wage and price data should not be combined into a verdict on which country is better to live in.
