Measure Is Salary vs. Cost of Living
A new study contends that Germany is the best country for people working in creative professions. Research by creative resource Design Bundles finds that Germany tops the study of 50 countries as its cost of living and rent compared to the average salary of creative jobs left employees with the highest percentage of their wages. The analysis contends that in Germany, the average monthly wage for four different creative professions – Graphic Designer, Web Developer, Architect, and Photographer – is the seventh highest on the list while the relatively low cost of living lets creative professionals in Germany keep 61.83% left of their average monthly salary. By these measures, Sweden is the second-best country for creatives on the list followed closely by Denmark. This secures Europe the top three positions, marginally edging out the United States by .07%.
Although it has the second highest salary the US ranks fourth on the list. This over 10% higher than English-speaking counterpart the United Kingdom, with a similar remaining percentage to that of Sweden and Denmark at 57.81%. These were followed by Switzerland in fifth place, with the highest average monthly salary for creatives at $7,165, but places lower due to a high cost of living. New Zealand, South Korea, Finland and Norway are just outside the top five. Beyond this, the salary remaining after living costs begins to drop below 50% of earnings.
A spokesperson for Design Bundles comments: “This data offers an interesting insight into the best places for artists and creatives to work. Clearly Germany is a very attractive destination for creative professionals. It might not offer the very highest salaries, but the comparatively low cost of living makes it somewhere that creatives can really benefit financially. It is also interesting to see how the UK and US fare against the dominating European countries. Although they pay reasonable salaries in comparison, the difference in the percentage of pocketable wage is significant.”
Photo by Christian Wiediger on Unsplash
