🇩🇪 → 🇨🇿
Moving from Germany to Czechia as a digital nomad
Here's what it takes on the Long-term Business Visa (Živno) — the income bar, how tax compares with staying in Germany, and what a typical remote salary actually leaves you each month.
Sample: a solo remote worker on $6,000/month
Qualifies — the bar is $2,967/mo.
Tax in Czechia
15.0%
vs 43.2% at home
Take-home / mo
$5,100
after tax & contributions
Left after costs
$3,006
$2,094 living costs
Your money goes about 1.3× further in Prague than in Berlin (PPP-adjusted).
Updated June 2026 · sample figures in USD for a solo employee.
Tax here vs. Germany, by income
All-in effective rate for a solo employee who is tax-resident in each place.
| Monthly income | 🇨🇿 Czechia | 🇩🇪 Germany | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| $3,000/mo | 15.0% | 36.3% | +$639/mo |
| $6,000/mo | 15.0% | 43.2% | +$1,689/mo |
| $12,000/mo | 15.0% | 46.9% | +$3,823/mo |
What Germany nomads should know
The freelancer's value play: a trade licence, a famously generous expense deduction and a real residency clock — wrapped in one of Europe's most liveable capitals.
For tax, what matters is where you're resident, not your passport: stay under 183 days and most Germany nomads avoid Czechia tax residency; a longer move brings Czechia's rules into play. Check for a tax treaty or totalization agreement between Germany and Czechia first.
- The 60% flat expense deduction makes effective freelance tax very low.
- Prague offers big-city life at mid-European prices.
- Paperwork is slow and in Czech.
- Mandatory social contributions for freelancers.
Model your move to Czechia
Your income, household and costs — compared against Germany.
Optional — unlocks age- and savings-gated visas (retirement, youth-mobility, golden visas).
Staying more than ~183 days?
Affects tax residency for territorial & exempt regimes.
Your monthly life in Czechia
Pre-filled with typical costs in Prague. Drag or type to match your life.
A nice place in a popular area
Power, water, gas
Home fibre + data
Food at home
Transit, rideshare, fuel
Private cover nomads usually need
Eating out, coffee, going out
Shopping, gym, subscriptions, misc.
You meet the income requirement
Needs $2,967/mo · plus ~$6,729 savings.
Your qualifying income
$6,000
$5,100
$2,094
$3,006
Tax in Czechia
Effective rate
15.0%
- Income tax / mo
- $900
- Social security / mo
- Not charged
- Total deductions / mo
- $900
- Take-home / mo
- $5,100
Typically covered by your home country under a totalization agreement, so €0 locally.
Private health insurance is mandatory for this visa — it's already counted in your living costs above.
15% personal rate (23% above CZK 1,762,812 in 2026); the 60% lump-sum expense scheme is very generous for freelancers.
vs. Germany
Tax
43.2% at home → 15.0% here
Same lifestyle costs
$2,778 at home → $2,094 here
Money left over
$633 at home → $3,006 here
Estimates for planning only — actual tax depends on treaties, your residency and personal circumstances. Confirm with official sources and a qualified advisor before you move.
FAQ
Can Germany citizens get Czechia's Long-term Business Visa (Živno)?
Yes — it's open to remote workers regardless of nationality (subject to the usual checks). A single applicant needs about $2,967/month plus ~$6,729 in savings.
Will I pay tax in Czechia or Germany?
15% personal rate (23% above CZK 1,762,812 in 2026); the 60% lump-sum expense scheme is very generous for freelancers. On a sample $6,000/month, that's an effective 15.0% in Czechia vs roughly 43.2% at home.
Does this visa lead to citizenship?
Permanent residence after 5 years; citizenship after 10 with a Czech-language exam.
Full requirements, citizenship timeline and cost breakdown for Czechia.
Czechia guideIllustrative 2026 estimates in USD; your result depends on treaties, residency and circumstances — confirm with official sources before applying.