At least in Germany the employers pay about half of mandatory social insurances such as healthcare, unemployment, pension etc.
This is usually not considered when people talk about pre-tax salaries. Ultimately though that’s just accounting, really that is part of the money you earn.
Re:Ask HN: Earning 100k EUR in Berlin?
by balfirevic on Sunday December 20, 2020 @12:06PM
(#25487685)
> This is usually not considered when people talk about pre-tax salaries.
The same is true for US (I think - maybe someone from there can correct me if it's wrong).
This can't be the answer since we're talking about pre-tax salaries. On the other hand, higher taxes just mean that the difference in post-tax salaries between Europe and the US is even bigger than it seems initially.