Data Engineer Salary in Frankfurt (2026)
Data engineers in Frankfurt earn €58,000–€98,000 per year, with a median of €74,000. If any role captures Frankfurt's unique tech identity, it is data engineering. The city's financial institutions process enormous volumes of transaction, market, and regulatory data — turning this into reliable, compliant, real-time data pipelines is a massive engineering challenge.
Key Facts
- Data engineers earn €58K–€98K/year with median of €74K
- Real-time streaming (Kafka) is critical for market data processing
- Data governance and lineage skills command premium pay
- Deutsche Börse processes millions of trades daily — massive data engineering challenge
- Financial data model knowledge is the hardest-to-fill skill gap
Salary by Experience Level
- Junior (0–2 years): €45,000–€58,000
- Mid-level (3–5 years): €58,000–€78,000
- Senior (6+ years): €78,000–€98,000
Frankfurt's Data Engineering Identity
Deutsche Börse processes millions of trades daily through Xetra and Eurex. Deutsche Bank's data infrastructure spans decades of financial data. The ECB aggregates monetary statistics from across the eurozone. Every one of these systems needs modern data engineering.
Premium-Commanding Skills
Apache Kafka and real-time streaming (critical for market data), data governance and lineage (regulatory requirement), Snowflake/Databricks (adopted by banks), and SQL mastery (lingua franca of financial data). Engineers who combine these with financial data models — trade lifecycle, reference data, counterparty hierarchies — are hardest to fill.
The Governance Premium
Data governance is not optional in Frankfurt banking. Data engineers who understand data lineage, quality frameworks, and regulatory reporting requirements (BCBS 239, MiFID II transaction reporting) earn significantly more than pure pipeline builders.
Top Hiring Companies
Career Advice
Master Kafka and real-time streaming first — it's the skill most Frankfurt employers actively seek. Then build data governance expertise (lineage, quality, regulatory reporting). Understanding financial data models (trade lifecycle, reference data) will differentiate you from data engineers in other industries. Snowflake and Databricks certifications are increasingly valued at banks.
Data Engineer Insights — Frankfurt
Data Engineer salaries in Frankfurt range from €58,000 to €98,000, a 54% spread that reflects significant variation based on experience level, specialization, and company size. The median of €74,000 sits below the midpoint, suggesting more positions cluster toward the entry-to-mid-level end of the range.
Frankfurt's cost of living index of 78/100 makes it one of the more expensive locations for tech professionals. While the €74,000 median is competitive, housing and daily expenses consume a larger share of income compared to lower-cost cities.
The hiring landscape for data engineer in Frankfurt is anchored by employers like Deutsche Bank, Deutsche Börse, and Commerzbank, along with 2 other notable employers. Larger employers in this market typically offer compensation at the upper end of the range, often supplemented with equity, signing bonuses, and comprehensive benefits.
Demand for data engineer in Frankfurt centers around expertise in Apache Kafka, SQL, Python, plus 2 other core competencies. Candidates with strong proficiency across these areas tend to command offers closer to the €98,000 ceiling, and have natural transition paths into roles like Senior Data Engineer or Data Scientist.
Related Roles in Frankfurt
Explore salary information for similar positions and compare compensation across different roles.
| Role | Location | Salary Range | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Data Engineer | Frankfurt | €78,000 - €115,000 | €88,000 |
| Senior Data Scientist | Frankfurt | €82,000 - €120,000 | €91,000 |
| Data Scientist | Frankfurt | €60,000 - €100,000 | €78,000 |
| Senior Product Manager | Frankfurt | €88,000 - €130,000 | €99,000 |
| Full Stack Developer | Frankfurt | €58,000 - €98,000 | €75,000 |
Data Engineer Salaries by City
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is the average data engineer salary in Frankfurt?
Data engineers earn €58,000–€98,000/year with a median of €74,000. Junior roles start at €45,000–€58,000, mid-level pays €58,000–€78,000, and senior data engineers with financial domain knowledge earn €78,000–€98,000.
What tools do data engineers use in Frankfurt banks?
Core stack: Apache Kafka (real-time streaming), Spark (batch processing), SQL (universal), Python (orchestration, transformation), and increasingly Snowflake/Databricks for analytics. Legacy systems include Informatica, Oracle, and custom ETL frameworks. Cloud platforms (AWS, GCP) are growing. Data governance tools (Collibra, Atlan) are increasingly important.
How does data engineering in finance differ from other industries?
Regulatory requirements dominate. Every data pipeline needs audit trails, data lineage tracking, and quality monitoring. Financial data has complex models (trade lifecycle, reference data, counterparty hierarchies). Latency requirements for market data are strict. Data governance is mandatory, not optional.
Is Frankfurt or Berlin better for data engineering careers?
Frankfurt pays more at the senior level and offers deeper specialization in financial data. Berlin has more diverse data engineering roles (e-commerce, adtech, mobility) and a larger job market. Frankfurt is ideal if you want to specialize in financial data engineering; Berlin for breadth and startup culture.
What certifications help data engineers in Frankfurt?
Snowflake SnowPro, Databricks Certified Data Engineer, AWS Data Analytics Specialty, and Confluent Kafka certifications are all valued. For the governance angle, DAMA CDMP (data management) shows commitment to data governance. Financial domain certifications (CFA Level I) signal credibility but aren't required.
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