Wages in the Netherlands are among the highest in the world. This is true not only of the gross salary, but also of what employees take home after taxes and premiums are deducted, according to a study of 23 countries carried out by the Loonwijzer (Wage Indicator) Foundation in cooperation with job website Monsterboard.

Salaries in Western Europe are generally relatively high compared to other parts of the world, but even so salaries in the Netherlands compare well to those of wealthy nations such as Germany and the UK. Outside of Europe, salaries in South Africa also stand out.

An average Dutch manager earns the highest gross wage observed in the study at 26,1 dollars per hour, while the average British manager comes in second place with a gross wage of 24,5 dollars per hour. Meanwhile a South African manager earns 22,9 dollars.

However, after taxes the British manager retains a bit more (17 dollars) than the Dutch counterpart (16,2 dollars) and a South African takes home nearly as much (16,1 dollars).

In order to make an international comparison and get an idea of what a salary is worth in the country where one lives and works, Loonwijzer also looked at how many McDonald's Big Mac hamburgers one can purchase with a given hourly wage. The average Dutch manager can afford 4 Big Macs while a Brit can afford 4,8 Big Macs, and a South African 4,4.

Source: Loonwijzer.nl