Tech Salaries in Nuremberg 2026: Bavaria's Affordable Tech Hub

Nuremberg is not the city that dominates German tech headlines. Berlin gets the startup coverage. Munich gets the BMW and Siemens spotlight. But Nuremberg — Bavaria's second-largest city — has quietly built one of Germany's most compelling tech markets, and the numbers tell an interesting story.

This is a city where Siemens was born. Where DATEV employs 9,000 people building software that powers virtually every tax advisor and accountant in Germany. Where Siemens Healthineers develops medical imaging technology used in hospitals worldwide. Where Adidas runs its global digital transformation from nearby Herzogenaurach. And where a one-bedroom apartment costs half what you would pay in Munich.

The result is a tech job market that pays 85-90% of Munich salaries while costing 65-70% as much to live in. For engineers who care about purchasing power rather than headline salary numbers, Nuremberg is one of the smartest choices in Germany.

Software Engineer — €55K-€95K

Software engineers in Nuremberg earn €55,000-€95,000 per year, with a median around €72,000. This places the city firmly in the second tier of German tech pay — behind Munich's €75K-€115K but competitive with Berlin's €55K-€95K. Junior (0-2 years): €45,000-€55,000 Mid-level (3-5 years): €58,000-€78,000 Senior (6+ years): €75,000-€95,000

The range reflects Nuremberg's distinctive employer landscape:

Siemens and the industrial tech ecosystem. Siemens's massive campus in neighboring Erlangen is the gravitational center of the region's tech economy. Siemens employs thousands of software engineers across its Digital Industries, Smart Infrastructure, and Mobility divisions. Roles span embedded systems, industrial IoT, cloud platforms, and enterprise software. Mid-level engineers at Siemens earn €62,000-€80,000, with senior engineers and architects reaching €85,000-€95,000. The IG Metall collective agreement provides structured salary bands, annual bonuses (typically 10-15%), and strong job security — a package that is competitive when you factor in Nuremberg's lower cost of living. DATEV — Nuremberg's software giant. Founded in 1966 and headquartered in Nuremberg, DATEV is a registered cooperative with roughly 9,000 employees and over 200 software products used by 2.5 million businesses. It is one of Europe's largest software companies by revenue. DATEV hires across the full stack — Java, .NET, cloud-native services, data engineering, and security. As a cooperative, DATEV offers stability over startup-style growth: salaries of €55,000-€85,000 for mid-to-senior engineers, generous benefits, and a culture that genuinely prioritizes work-life balance. Siemens Healthineers. Headquartered in Erlangen with over 70,000 employees globally, Siemens Healthineers develops medical imaging systems (MRI, CT, X-ray), diagnostics, and digital health platforms. Their engineering teams work on AI-powered diagnostic tools, medical device software (subject to regulatory frameworks like MDR), and cloud platforms for hospital data. Software engineers here earn €58,000-€90,000, with a premium for engineers who understand medical device regulations and patient data compliance. Adidas digital. While headquartered in Herzogenaurach (20 minutes from Nuremberg), Adidas's digital and e-commerce teams are accessible from the Nuremberg metro area. Adidas has invested heavily in its digital platform — personalization, supply chain optimization, and direct-to-consumer e-commerce. Tech roles at Adidas pay competitively, €60,000-€90,000 for mid-to-senior engineers, with the lifestyle brand cachet as an additional draw.

For comparison, see the Software Engineer salary data across all cities.

Data Scientist — €52K-€90K

Data scientists in Nuremberg earn €52,000-€90,000 per year, with a median around €68,000. Junior (0-2 years): €45,000-€55,000 Mid-level (3-5 years): €55,000-€75,000 Senior (6+ years): €75,000-€90,000

Nuremberg's data science market has a clear industrial and medical technology bias. The dominant use cases are predictive maintenance, manufacturing quality analytics, medical imaging analysis, and financial software intelligence. This specialization creates some distinct dynamics.

Industrial data science pays well. Siemens's Digital Industries division needs data scientists who understand time-series sensor data, anomaly detection in manufacturing, and digital twin models. These roles command €65,000-€90,000, especially for those bridging ML models and real-world industrial systems. Medical data science is regulated but rewarding. Siemens Healthineers employs data scientists working on AI-assisted diagnostics — algorithms that help radiologists identify conditions from imaging data. The regulatory overhead (GDPR, DICOM standards, model explainability) narrows the talent pool, pushing salaries to the higher end. DATEV's data opportunity. As the platform behind millions of German businesses' financial data, DATEV's data science team works on fraud detection, tax optimization, and analytics products. Domain knowledge of German tax systems creates a premium.

Key skills for premium pay: time-series analysis (industrial IoT), computer vision (medical imaging), MLOps (notebooks to production), and domain expertise in manufacturing or healthcare.

For the broader picture, see Data Scientist salaries across cities, or our dedicated Data Scientist salary guide for Germany.

Product Manager — €50K-€95K

Product managers in Nuremberg earn €50,000-€95,000 per year, with a median around €70,000. Compare this to Product Manager salaries in Munich and Berlin.

Junior (0-2 years): €45,000-€55,000 Mid-level (3-5 years): €55,000-€75,000 Senior (6+ years): €75,000-€95,000

Product management in Nuremberg has a distinctive character shaped by the region's employer base. Unlike Berlin where PMs often work on consumer-facing apps or marketplace products, Nuremberg product managers typically own enterprise software, industrial platforms, or B2B SaaS products.

Enterprise PM at scale. At DATEV, product managers own products used by hundreds of thousands of tax advisors and businesses across Germany. The scale is significant — DATEV's software processes a substantial portion of Germany's business tax filings. PMs here need to navigate complex stakeholder landscapes (the cooperative's member advisors, regulatory requirements, and technology teams) while driving modernization of established product lines. Salaries run €60,000-€85,000 for experienced PMs. Industrial platform PM. At Siemens, product managers work on industrial software platforms — MindSphere (now Siemens Xcelerator), factory automation tools, and building management systems. These roles sit at the intersection of deep domain knowledge (how factories actually work) and modern software product development. Senior PMs at Siemens can reach €80,000-€95,000, especially those managing platform-level products. Healthtech PM. At Siemens Healthineers, PMs own medical device software and digital health platforms. The regulatory dimension (EU MDR, FDA clearance for US markets) adds complexity that creates a premium. These roles require PMs who can balance clinical needs, regulatory constraints, and engineering execution — a rare combination that commands top-of-range compensation.

The PM role in Nuremberg skews more technical and domain-specific than in Berlin. If you want to build consumer products, Nuremberg is the wrong city. If you want to manage products that run factories, hospitals, or the German accounting system, it is one of the best places in Germany.

DevOps Engineer — €50K-€92K

DevOps engineers in Nuremberg earn €50,000-€92,000 per year, with a median around €68,000. Junior (0-2 years): €42,000-€52,000 Mid-level (3-5 years): €52,000-€72,000 Senior (6+ years): €72,000-€92,000

DevOps in Nuremberg's industrial landscape comes with requirements you will not encounter at a Berlin startup: safety-critical systems, regulatory compliance, and hybrid infrastructure.

Industrial DevOps. Deploying to factory control systems and medical devices is fundamentally different from deploying a web app. CI/CD pipelines must accommodate safety testing, regulatory validation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing. Engineers who understand IEC 62443 (industrial cybersecurity) and hybrid cloud/edge architectures are in high demand. Cloud transformation. DATEV is migrating from on-premises to cloud-native services, creating strong demand for Kubernetes, Terraform, and AWS/Azure expertise. Sensitive financial data means strict compliance requirements — engineers who navigate both cloud-native tools and compliance frameworks earn a premium. Medical device DevOps. Siemens Healthineers requires validated deployment pipelines with audit trails. Engineers implementing GitOps workflows that satisfy EU MDR and IEC 62304 earn at the top of the range.

Key skills commanding premiums: Kubernetes (€5K-€10K premium), cloud security/compliance, edge computing (industrial IoT), and infrastructure-as-code (Terraform, Pulumi).

For the full picture, see DevOps Engineer salaries across all cities.

Data Engineer — €50K-€88K

Data engineers in Nuremberg earn €50,000-€88,000 per year, with a median around €66,000. Junior (0-2 years): €42,000-€52,000 Mid-level (3-5 years): €52,000-€70,000 Senior (6+ years): €70,000-€88,000

Data engineering in Nuremberg reflects the city's industrial DNA. While Berlin data engineers build pipelines for user analytics and ad tech, Nuremberg data engineers work with sensor data from factories, medical imaging data from hospitals, and financial transaction data from millions of businesses.

Industrial data at scale. Siemens factories generate enormous volumes of sensor data. Building reliable pipelines that ingest, process, and serve this data for predictive maintenance is a core challenge. Skills in Apache Kafka, Spark, time-series databases, and edge-to-cloud architectures are particularly valuable. Medical data engineering. Siemens Healthineers needs pipelines for medical imaging data and patient records under strict privacy regulations. DICOM processing, HL7/FHIR standards, and anonymization pipelines are niche skills commanding premium pay. DATEV's data modernization. Decades of financial data from millions of businesses need modern platforms (Snowflake, Databricks) built on top of legacy systems. Data engineers who navigate both legacy databases and modern cloud data stacks are highly valued.

Compare with Data Engineer salaries in Berlin and Munich.

ML Engineer — €58K-€100K

ML engineers in Nuremberg earn €58,000-€100,000 per year, with a median around €76,000. Junior (0-2 years): €48,000-€60,000 Mid-level (3-5 years): €60,000-€82,000 Senior (6+ years): €82,000-€100,000

ML Engineering is where Nuremberg's industrial heritage meets cutting-edge technology, and it is the highest-paying individual contributor role in the region's tech market.

Industrial AI. Siemens is one of Europe's largest deployers of industrial AI — predictive maintenance, quality inspection via computer vision, energy optimization, and autonomous logistics. These are production systems at industrial scale. ML engineers who can deploy models to edge devices and monitor model drift in production are in high demand. Senior roles reach €90,000-€100,000. Medical AI. Siemens Healthineers has FDA-cleared and CE-marked AI algorithms for radiology — systems that help doctors detect cancer, heart disease, and neurological conditions. ML engineers need to understand model validation, regulatory submissions, and clinical workflow integration. These specialized roles are among the highest paid in the region. The research pipeline. FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg has strong AI research departments, feeding talent into both corporate research groups and the Zollhof Tech Incubator's ML-focused startups.

For context, compare ML Engineer salaries in Munich and Berlin, or see the global ML Engineer salary data.

How Nuremberg Compares to Other German Tech Cities

Nuremberg occupies a sweet spot in Germany's tech hierarchy — not the highest salaries, but outstanding value when adjusted for cost of living:

Nuremberg vs. Munich: Munich pays 10-15% more, but living costs are 30-35% higher. A software engineer earning €72,000 in Nuremberg and paying €1,000/month rent has more disposable income than one earning €85,000 in Munich at €1,800/month rent. Some engineers live in Nuremberg and commute to Munich offices via the one-hour ICE. For a detailed Munich breakdown, see Tech Salaries in Munich 2026. Nuremberg vs. Berlin: Nearly identical salary ranges, but Berlin's rent is 25-40% higher. Berlin offers more startup diversity and international culture. Nuremberg offers industrial tech specialization, corporate stability, and proximity to Munich. Consumer tech? Berlin. Industrial tech and purchasing power? Nuremberg. Nuremberg vs. Stuttgart: Similar salaries and industrial focus. Nuremberg's rent is 10-20% lower. Stuttgart leads to automotive (Mercedes, Porsche); Nuremberg leads to industrial software and medical devices (Siemens, Healthineers, DATEV).

For the full German comparison, see Tech Salaries in Germany 2026 or the broader European comparison.

Cost of Living in Nuremberg — The Decisive Advantage

Nuremberg's biggest selling point for tech workers is not salary — it is purchasing power. The city is 30-35% cheaper than Munich according to Numbeo and Expatistan data, with rent being the primary driver of that gap.

Housing is genuinely affordable by German metropolitan standards. A one-bedroom apartment in desirable neighborhoods (Gostenhof, St. Johannis, Wöhrd, Maxfeld) costs €800-€1,200/month warm rent. In outer neighborhoods (Langwasser, Schweinau, Gibitzenhof), you can find €650-€900. This is roughly half of Munich and 20-30% less than Berlin — a massive advantage that compounds month after month. Take-home pay at Nuremberg tech salaries: Tax class 1 (single, no children). Approximate after income tax and social contributions. Transport is affordable and efficient. Nuremberg has a metro (U-Bahn), trams, and buses operated by VAG. The Deutschlandticket at €49-€58/month covers the entire city and region. The city is also highly bikeable — most tech workers can cycle to the Siemens campus in Erlangen (25km, well-connected bike paths) or to DATEV's Nuremberg headquarters. Groceries and dining are typical for mid-sized German cities. A meal at a Franconian restaurant costs €12-€18. Monthly groceries for one person run €280-€380 — cheaper than Munich or Frankfurt. The Nuremberg savings calculation: A mid-level software engineer earning €70,000 in Nuremberg keeps roughly €2,800/month after rent. The same engineer earning €80,000 in Munich keeps roughly €2,400/month after rent (€1,600 higher). That is €400/month — nearly €5,000/year — more purchasing power in Nuremberg despite a lower headline salary. Over a five-year career, this compounds significantly, especially if you are saving for a house deposit or investing.

The Nuremberg Tech Ecosystem

Nuremberg's tech market has layers that make it more substantial than most people realize:

Siemens orbit. The Siemens Campus Erlangen is one of Europe's largest corporate technology campuses. Siemens Digital Industries, Smart Infrastructure, Mobility, and the separately listed Siemens Healthineers together employ tens of thousands of engineers in the metro region — creating a deep ecosystem of suppliers, partners, and spin-offs. DATEV — the hidden giant. With 9,000 employees, 200+ software products, and revenues that make it one of Europe's largest software companies, DATEV offers some of the region's most stable tech employment. The cooperative structure means no investors pushing for hyper-growth — DATEV has never done a major layoff in its 60-year history. Regional anchors within commuting distance:

Adidas (Herzogenaurach, 20 min) — digital e-commerce, personalization, supply chain technology

Puma (Herzogenaurach) — growing tech teams

Schaeffler (Herzogenaurach) — €16B automotive supplier, electric mobility and Industry 4.0

Bosch (Nuremberg office) — automotive and industrial technology

Startups and research. The Zollhof Tech Incubator, recently selected as one of Germany's federal "Startup Factories" with €30 million in funding, anchors a growing startup ecosystem. FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg provides a continuous engineering talent pipeline. The Fraunhofer IIS (inventors of the MP3 format) adds deep research capability in AI and communications. The metro region. Nuremberg, Erlangen, and Fürth form a 3.6-million-person metropolitan region. The ICE train to Munich (1 hour) and proximity to Erlangen (15 minutes by train) mean the effective job market extends well beyond city boundaries.

Getting Hired in Nuremberg

Where the jobs are: LinkedIn and StepStone are primary channels. Siemens, Siemens Healthineers, and DATEV post extensively on their career portals. Zollhof surfaces startup roles. Local meetups (NürnbergDigital, Franken Valley) are smaller but relationship-driven. German language: More important than in Berlin. Siemens and Healthineers R&D teams often operate in English, but DATEV is more German-oriented. For management progression, B2-level German is effectively required. In daily life, basic German (A2-B1) makes housing, bureaucracy, and socializing significantly easier. EU Blue Card: Straightforward for non-EU engineers. Most mid-to-senior roles exceed the threshold. Major employers have relocation support. Hybrid work: Most employers follow the 2-3 days in-office standard. Siemens offers "Mobile Working 2.0" with considerable remote flexibility. Fully remote roles are less common than in Berlin — industrial tech culture values in-person collaboration, especially for hardware-adjacent teams.

Job Market Trends: What Is Changing in Nuremberg Tech

1. Siemens Xcelerator is creating demand. Siemens's transformation from hardware manufacturer to platform company via Xcelerator is creating massive hiring demand for cloud engineers, API developers, and data engineers. The Erlangen campus is a primary execution hub for this multi-billion-euro bet. 2. Medical AI is accelerating. The EU AI Act's provisions for high-risk AI (including medical applications) are creating demand for ML engineers who understand both model development and regulatory compliance. Siemens Healthineers is at the forefront — expect 10-15% annual salary growth for medical AI specialists. 3. Industry 4.0 keeps expanding. The convergence of IoT, AI, and manufacturing is Nuremberg's core thesis. Edge computing, OPC-UA, and digital twin technology are specific skill areas driving premium salaries as factories become more software-defined. 4. The startup layer is thickening. Zollhof's €30 million federal Startup Factory funding signals growing institutional support. Early-stage companies in industrial AI, healthtech, and climate tech are creating new options beyond established corporates. 5. The talent pipeline is strong. FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg, TH Nürnberg, and Fraunhofer IIS create a research-to-industry pipeline. Graduates who might otherwise move to Munich or Berlin increasingly find competitive opportunities locally.

Is Nuremberg Worth It?

Yes, if:

You want to maximize purchasing power — Nuremberg offers 85-90% of Munich salaries at 65-70% of the cost

You are interested in industrial technology, medical devices, enterprise software, or manufacturing AI — Nuremberg is one of Germany's best markets for these domains

You value stability — Siemens, DATEV, and Siemens Healthineers offer German corporate stability at its best, with collective agreements, works councils, and strong employee protections

You want a family-friendly tech career — affordable housing, good schools, safe neighborhoods, and a city that is not trying to be a party capital

You want proximity to Munich's job market without Munich prices — the one-hour ICE connection makes hybrid Munich commuting viable

Think twice if:

You want a vibrant startup scene with dozens of high-growth companies — Berlin and Munich are better choices

You prefer an English-first environment — Nuremberg is more German-language oriented than Berlin

You want consumer-facing product work — Nuremberg's tech market is overwhelmingly B2B, enterprise, and industrial

You are optimizing for maximum nominal salary — Munich, Frankfurt, and some Berlin Big Tech offices pay more in absolute terms

You want a large, diverse international tech community — Berlin's is significantly larger

Nuremberg rewards engineers who think in terms of total value rather than headline salary. If you calculate compensation as (salary minus living costs) rather than just salary, Nuremberg consistently outperforms cities that look better on paper.

Check your salary fit to see where you would land in the Nuremberg market — or explore the full salary database to compare Nuremberg against any city. For the broader German picture, see Tech Salaries in Germany 2026.