Salary Differences & Career Impact Across DACH Offices

Question

Hi everyone,

I’m currently exploring consulting opportunities in the DACH region and had a couple of questions I’d love your input on:

For the same consulting firm (MBB or Tier 2), how significant is the salary difference between the Vienna, Munich, Frankfurt, and Düsseldorf offices? I’ve heard that compensation in Austria is generally lower than in Germany, but I’m curious about how large that gap typically is and how it compares to the cost of living.
From a career development perspective, do you think the office location (Munich vs. Düsseldorf specifically ) makes a difference in terms of project exposure, industry focus, promotion pace, or international opportunities? I’d really appreciate any insights from people who’ve worked in or are familiar with these offices.
I do speak German, but I would prefer to work in a more international office environment. Are there any particular DACH locations that are known for being especially international (in terms of team composition or project scope)?

Thanks in advance for your help!

Answer 1

Hi there,

I would be happy to share my thoughts on your questions:

First of all, the salary difference seems to be real between Austria and Germany. But when you factor in net income and cost of living, the gap may become smaller. I wrote an in-depth article on exactly this, which you may find here.
Moreover, the choice of office within Germany seems to have no impact on your career. The same goes for how international your projects and project teams are.

You can find more on this topic here: Salaries in the consulting industry.

If you would like a more detailed discussion on your specific situation, please don't hesitate to contact me directly.

Best,

Hagen

Answer 2

1. Salary should be the same within Germany. Between countries there will be salary differences, accounting for the difference in cost of living and average wages / local supply and demand. The difference should not be significant.

2.Between Munich and Dusseldorf you will be exposed to different industries, reflecting the region's specific business environment. But other than that everything is the same. Promotions, international opportunities, etc.

3. Difficult for me to answer this, but the higher the presence of multinational companies (both national and foreign companies headquarters), the more likely to be staffed in projects with international teams or scope.

Answer 3

Hi there,

For MBB, afaik Austrian (basically just Vienna) and German gross salaries are the same. Minor differences in net salaries can arise from the different tax systems (and treatment of extras such as firm car, etc.). Vienna's living cost is below German counterparts, esp. compared to Munich. Check numbeo for more details on this.
Depends on the firm. In most cases there is little impact as you will travel to your clients Monday-Thursday anyway if you are staffed on the same continent. McKinsey has a global staffing model so your home office locations matters the least, BCG is more regional, and Bain more local. For McKinsey specifically, they treat Austria/Germany as one entity, meaning you can even switch between local offices anytime you want (when I was there an email to the office manager was enough). Promotion pace, project exposure is all the same within the region.
Depends on the firm. When I was at McKinsey (Vienna office), I never had an Austrian project, only one in Germany, and the rest was fully international. It depends on what you make of it: others were only working in Germany because they preferred it and again others solely outside of Europe. As mentioned above, for other firms you will be staffed more regionally/locally with less say on getting more international exposure (but it's still possible).

Cheers,

Florian