Berlin or Amsterdam? If you're looking for your next career destination, it’s not as easy as picking the city with the biggest salary. Let’s go deeper.

💸 Taxes — Big Difference

This is where Amsterdam takes the lead. Thanks to the 30% ruling, qualifying newcomers only pay tax on 70% of their salary for up to 5 years.

On €60K in Amsterdam, you’d pay around 16% effective tax. In Berlin? About 37.5%.
On €110K, the gap stays huge — 22.6% in Amsterdam vs. 42.2% in Berlin.

That’s not a small difference — it completely changes how much actually lands in your bank account every month.

🏠 Rent & Housing Hunt

Berlin comes across as the cheaper city for rent, with a one-bedroom averaging around €1,214, compared to Amsterdam’s €1,992. But here’s the catch: affordability doesn’t mean availability.
Berlin's rental market is competitive, paperwork-heavy, and in some areas, nearly saturated. Amsterdam isn’t any better — expect bidding wars, a supply shortage, and long waiting lists. In both cities, finding a place might take just as much energy as landing the job.

🗣 Language & Integration

Berlin feels international, but daily life still runs on German. From registering your address to visiting a doctor or simply making friends outside the expat bubble — you’ll need to learn the language sooner or later.
In Amsterdam, it’s different. The Netherlands has ranked #1 in the EF English Proficiency Index for six consecutive years. English is more than enough for work, daily life, and even making local friends.

🏢 Companies & Career Scene

Both cities offer solid career prospects, especially in tech and creative industries.
Berlin hosts N26, Zalando, Delivery Hero, and a strong startup scene that still attracts international talent. Amsterdam is home to Booking.com, Adyen, TomTom, and serves as the regional hub for Nike, Netflix EMEA, and other global players.

Both cities are attractive — but for very different reasons. Lower taxes and English-friendly life (Amsterdam)? Or lower rents but higher taxes and the need to master German (Berlin)?

It’s really not that simple.

💬 Which one would you go for? Share your thoughts in the comments!

The research is based on publicly available data.

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