Starting range
Average salary
Top earners
Slightly above Greek national average for housing and services in urban Athens; overall lower than major Western European/US cities
Compare to Nearby Cities
| City | Average Salary | Cost of Living Index | Real Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thessaloniki, Greece | $30,000 | 55 | $54,545 |
| Sofia, Bulgaria | $22,000 | 48 | $45,833 |
| London, UK | $70,000 | 140 | $50,000 |
Local Market Outlook
Demand Level
Steady hiring with spikes driven by fintech, e-commerce and outsourcing contracts; increasing remote/hybrid roles
Top Employers
Key Industries
How Athens cost-of-living affects .NET developer purchasing power
Athens’s cost-of-living index (~60 vs US=100) means day-to-day expenses are lower than Western Europe or North America, but housing is the largest local burden. A senior .
NET developer earning €52k gross can expect central Athens rent for a one-bedroom at €500–€700/month; commuting (urban metro, bus) costs €30–€50/month for a monthly pass. Groceries, utilities and dining out are affordable relative to Western Europe but still significant: a modest monthly household budget (excluding rent) runs €400–€600.
For entry-level developers on ~€18k gross, rent in central areas consumes a large share of income; many juniors share apartments or live in suburbs where rents drop to €350–€450. Take-home pay is further reduced by contributions and taxes; for practical planning, multiply gross by ~0.
68–0. 75 to estimate net.
Lifestyle choices (frequent dining out, private schooling, car ownership) can quickly erode the perceived advantage of a lower nominal COL, so developers should weigh gross salary against net and housing realities when evaluating offers.
Why .NET salaries are at current levels in Athens
Salaries for . NET developers in Athens reflect a mix of local supply, industry mix and export-oriented tech services.
Greece has a strong pool of capable developers from technical universities (NTUA, Athens University of Economics & Business) but fewer large-scale enterprise clients compared with Western Europe, which keeps base salaries moderate. Major local and regional employers—Intrasoft International, Upstream, Viva Wallet, Workable and Accenture Greece—drive demand for .
NET skills in fintech, payment integrations, and enterprise systems. Outsourcing contracts for EU clients and startups scaling SaaS products push budgets upward for mid and senior hires.
Economic trends—steady recovery post-2018, increasing venture funding for fintech and e‑commerce—support continued hiring, though companies often prefer blended stacks (. NET with cloud/Azure, C#, SQL, Docker) and may offer higher compensation for full-stack, cloud-native expertise.
The result: moderate market salaries but premium pay for specialists with Azure, microservices and product/industry experience.
Comparing Athens salaries and cost-of-living to nearby cities
Thessaloniki: slightly lower average . NET pay (~€30k) with a COL index around 55; commuting or relocating within Greece often reduces living costs but may limit access to larger fintech employers centered in Athens.
Sofia: lower nominal salaries (~€22k) and COL (~48), attractive for companies seeking lower cost bases; relocating to Sofia increases relative purchasing power but may reduce career exposure to Greek fintech and EU-facing consulting clients. London: far higher wages (~€70k for comparable roles) but COL ~140 erodes gains; remote work with a London company can be lucrative if location-based pay adjustments are favorable.
When to commute/relocate: move to Thessaloniki for lower costs while staying in-country; consider Sofia if cost reduction is priority and remote company culture exists. For career advancement and access to fintech product companies, Athens remains the primary local hub.
Remote work: many Athens-based . NET developers secure remote roles paying international rates while living locally, improving purchasing power significantly.
Typical career progression for .NET developers in Athens
Entry (0–2 years): focus on C#, . NET Core, SQL Server, basic REST APIs and unit testing; progression to mid-level typically takes 2–4 years with consistent delivery and exposure to cloud (Azure) and CI/CD.
Mid (3–7 years): developers owning components, leading small projects, and integrating microservices see faster salary growth; adding DevOps skills, async programming, performance tuning and domain knowledge (payments, e‑commerce) accelerates moves toward senior roles. Senior (8+ years): architects, tech leads or product-aligned engineers commanding €45k–€60k+ usually have proven system design, team leadership, and cross-functional product delivery (cloud migrations, security/compliance for fintech).
Typical acceleration strategies: obtaining Azure certifications, contributing to open-source or company product roadmaps, building client-facing experience, and gaining leadership exposure. On-the-job promotions plus switching companies (especially to well-funded fintechs or international consultancies) are common levers for raising compensation in Athens.
Athens-specific tips for negotiating .NET developer offers
Be explicit about stack and impact: in Athens, employers value hands-on Azure, microservices and payment integrations for higher pay. Reasonable salary bands: entry €16k–€22k, mid €28k–€38k, senior €45k–€60k; present target within these ranges backed by examples of cloud/microservices work and measurable outcomes (reduced latency, successful migrations).
Negotiate benefits common locally: flexible/hybrid remote work, 13th salary (where offered), private health insurance top-ups, training allowance, and performance bonuses. For foreign/remote offers, clarify taxation and social security implications; ask whether gross or net compensation and whether employer contributes to social security.
Cultural note: Greek employers appreciate direct but respectful negotiation; reference market data and competitors (e. g.
, Viva Wallet, Upstream) and be prepared to show demonstrable results rather than abstract claims. If the employer is constrained on base pay, negotiate accelerated review cycles (6 months), clear promotion criteria, or equity/bonus tied to product milestones.
Related Tools
Sources & Methodology
How We Calculate Salary Data
Location-specific salary data is compiled from government statistics (BLS), employer-reported data, and verified employee submissions. Cost of living adjustments use COLI data from the Council for Community and Economic Research. All figures are cross-referenced across multiple sources and updated quarterly to reflect current market conditions.
Data last verified: January 2026
Data Sources
Official government occupational employment and wage statistics
Self-reported salary data from employees by location
Job posting salary data aggregated by metro area
Council for Community and Economic Research cost of living data
Regional compensation data and cost-of-living adjustments