it's not only US megacorps, a lot of well funded tech companies pay salaries close to what Amazon or Google pay and they have to as that's what the market demands. As a software engineer in Berlin i can't really say i don't like that though.
Berlin rents might have doubled since 2010, but they were also way below other german capitals due to Berlins history, so the rents coming to the same level as say Hamburg or Munich was just a matter of time anyway.
In the end it creates value for the city, higher tax income, more spending. Yes, gentrification is a problem, but it's far less of a problem here then in other major capitals.
I don't know what Google pays for a Senior engineer, but from what I know about Amazon it's about 70-100k. Other companies that pay on this level:
- Zalando
- HERE Technologies
- N26
- Delivery Hero
- Soundcloud
- VW/Mercedes/Porsche backend startups (Proshare, Coup, Porsche Digital Lab)
And many smaller ones. From my circle, most Senior engineers earn in the 70-100k range total compensation. Since Berlin is still quite affordable, that allows a good standard of living.
