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[Cereal KiIIer]

That may be true, but the US Colonel probably doesn't have to pay out of his pocket for housing, healthcare, etc.. There are also bonuses and allowances which get added on(iirc, tax free) to the base pay.

Exactly. This is why I did not add bonuses. This is not to compare military salaries vs non military salaries. This is to compare military salaries before bonuses (which are almost equal for every country listed except India). All the soldiers make more than what is listen thanks to bonuses. This is only used to compare roughly what each soldier bring home before bonuses.

You could add all the bonuses but then the difference in % would probably stay about the same compared to each other.

 

[Masta_Killah]

Exactly. This is why I did not add bonuses. This is not to compare military salaries vs non military salaries. This is to compare military salaries before bonuses (which are almost equal for every country listed except India). All the soldiers make more than what is listen thanks to bonuses. This is only used to compare roughly what each soldier bring home before bonuses.

You could add all the bonuses but then the difference in % would probably stay about the same compared to each other.

Agree. There just seemed some confusion amongst the posters, since some think that soldiers get payed shit. Just their base salary is shit. When you start to add in the allowances and bonuses, it's pretty comparable to the civilian sector.

 

[JBaird]

All countries except India have about the same cost of living. They are all members of the G6 except Australia which still have about the same cost of living as the others.

lol what? Not even all the States in the US have the same Cost of living, how the hell do all countries have the same Cost of living?

 

[Masta_Killah]

lol what? Not even all the States in the US have the same Cost of living, how the hell do all countries have the same Cost of living?

Should cost of living even be considered? The military gives allowances to balance out the cost of living, to the point where it's basically free.

 

[Dugungar]

How does a Canadian Sergeant make more than a Captain? Seems off.

 

[Litflynt912]

just to chime in here...the U.S. numbers are fairly accurate but once you move out from base dorms in the U.S. military (or are a commisioned officer)
you are given housing allowance which ranges from $500-$2300 a month based on location and rank...stationed overseas...you get cost of living which means you live off the current currency (an additional 300-500 a month)

oh, and free healthcare, a pension for life after 20 years of service...come in at 18, retire at 38 making $1500-$3000 a month for the rest of your life and you just get a federal job...

I was an E-3 and making over $100K with my wife a few years back...

trust me...come on to any military installation and look at a given parking lot...
you'd blush...

the military get paid well...I haven't even touched on college loan repayment or signing bonuses

 

[WanderingWind]

I understand, but the title should be really called Base Salary, since that's what you were trying to show in the chart. The true salary of a soldier is far more then their base.

Well, what are basing true salary on? There are so many factors determining pay that there has to be some sort of baseline.

Are we talking marred troops? Single? Kids or no kids? Combination? Living with their spouse? Away from their spouse?
Are they in a MOS getting paid huge bonuses? Are they in the Army or the USMC where bonuses differ wildly? Dangerous MOS? Specialty MOS? Deployed? Garrison?
Rank? Time in grade, time in service. Officer? enlisted?

The list goes on and on. So many things affect what your salary actually is that it's almost futile to compare notes across countries.

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

lol what? Not even all the States in the US have the same Cost of living, how the hell do all countries have the same Cost of living?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

United States 46,381
Australia 38,911
Canada 38,025
United Kingdom 34,619
Germany 34,212
France 33,679

Pretty equal I would say (except US which is slightly higher. Which basically means that the soldiers pay -even with bonuses- is lower than the other countries).

 

[Escape Goat]

im sure when your military is 1) small or 2) not active you have alot more money to play around with.

Not that this stops US Congress. They write checks without consequence.

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

How does a Canadian Sergeant make more than a Captain? Seems off.

http://www.forces.ca/html/paybenefits_en.aspx


Sergeant have often more than 10y of experience when they get there. You can become a Captain a lot sooner.

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

just to chime in here...the U.S. numbers are fairly accurate but once you move out from base dorms in the U.S. military (or are a commisioned officer)
you are given housing allowance which ranges from $500-$2300 a month based on location and rank...stationed overseas...you get cost of living which means you live off the current currency (an additional 300-500 a month)

oh, and free healthcare, a pension for life after 20 years of service...come in at 18, retire at 38 making $1500-$3000 a month for the rest of your life and you just get a federal job...

I was an E-3 and making over $100K with my wife a few years back...

trust me...come on to any military installation and look at a given parking lot...
you'd blush...

the military get paid well...I haven't even touched on college loan repayment or signing bonuses

I don't deny that. But so does the other countries listed... That why bonuses should not be used to boost the US salaries since it would boost all the other one to a almost equal amount.

 

[WanderingWind]

.

I was an E-3 and making over $100K with my wife a few years back...

There is zero chance this is even close to accurate, unless you're talking about your wife bringing in $70,000. You were not making $100,000 as a seaman/airman/lance corporal or private first class.

 

[andycapps]

Would be an interesting comparison to compare the navies and air forces of the world. Still, shows you how little in actual pay these guys get considering how much work they do. But still, room and board is paid for and so is food and healthcare so you have to realize these salaries are almost all disposable income.

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

Well, what are basing true salary on? There are so many factors determining pay that there has to be some sort of baseline.

Are we talking marred troops? Single? Kids or no kids? Combination? Living with their spouse? Away from their spouse?
Are they in a MOS getting paid huge bonuses? Are they in the Army or the USMC where bonuses differ wildly? Dangerous MOS? Specialty MOS? Deployed? Garrison?
Rank? Time in grade, time in service. Officer? enlisted?

The list goes on and on. So many things affect what your salary actually is that it's almost futile to compare notes across countries.

All salaries are for:

First year of experience with not specialization (the most basic pay). Other countries give bonuses too for experience and specialization. I listed the Canadian sergeant at 58738 but they can make up to 79 192 when they are "Specialist 2".

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

Wait. WHAT? $100k salary at an E-3 level? :lol :lol

My father retired from the military many years ago, but my mother says the military gave us like $40,000 to put towards a home if we ever wanted to buy one.

 

[JBaird]

Should cost of living even be considered? The military gives allowances to balance out the cost of living, to the point where it's basically free.

That wouldn't effect the price a good costs for the individual. A good can vary in price from one nation to the other. Someone could be making 2 dollars in one country and not be able to buy more than the individual in another country that makes 1 dollar. So even though they are making 2 dollars the soda they want to buy could cost 2 in their country and only 1 dollar in the other making the resulting outcome equal for the two in terms of pay.

 

[bionic77]

How much do you make in the Chinese or Russian armies?

Wonder what the pay difference is between conscripted armies and armies where you can join voluntarily. I imagine as they have no choice in the matter that conscripts must get paid like shit.

 

[Masta_Killah]

Well, what are basing true salary on? There are so many factors determining pay that there has to be some sort of baseline.

Are we talking marred troops? Single? Kids or no kids? Combination? Living with their spouse? Away from their spouse?
Are they in a MOS getting paid huge bonuses? Are they in the Army or the USMC where bonuses differ wildly? Dangerous MOS? Specialty MOS? Deployed? Garrison?
Rank? Time in grade, time in service. Officer? enlisted?

The list goes on and on. So many things affect what your salary actually is that it's almost futile to compare notes across countries.

I was just making the point that true salary is much more then base, and that troops really are taken well care of. Some posters here seem to think that the troops get the short end of the stick when it comes to pay.

trust me...come on to any military installation and look at a given parking lot...
you'd blush...

So true. My recruiter, who's a Petty Officer, is driving around in a Lexus IS350 and is living in a nice neighborhood, which the military is paying for.

 

[WanderingWind]

All salaries are for:

First year of experience with not specialization (the most basic pay). Other countries give bonuses too for experience and specialization. I listed the Canadian sergeant at 58738 but they can make up to 79 192 when they are "Specialist 2".

Okay, well here is another reason why that chart is a bit flawed. A Canadian sergeant is much different than an American one, in terms of years of experience. In the Marines, a sergeant is right around 4-6 years of experience, depending on the MOS. You say in general that a Canadian sergeant is around 10 years.

Same word, different positions/TIS etc.

 

[Litflynt912]

There is zero chance this is even close to accurate, unless you're talking about your wife bringing in $70,000. You were not making $100,000 as a seaman/airman/lance corporal or private first class.

sorry....

I was an E-3, she was an E-4(I put on SrA a couple months afterwards)
we both received BAH of $1300 and 1050 a month and combined was $90,600 gross yearly for two years(I was deployed for 6 months which was tax free and added to it).

We have a VA loan which means $0 down on a home with no closing costs up to $417K (which I haven't used yet...)

I am currently finishing my B.S. and starting my Masters in March and have paid $0 for it and receive $1300 to take one class online and one class in class..

all for 8 years of military service and current reserve service (one weekend a month)

not too bad...

in today's Air Force, two married members make more money than they know what to do with....it would be foolish not get get married to a joint military member...

 

[devilhawk]

Exactly. This is why I did not add bonuses. This is not to compare military salaries vs non military salaries. This is to compare military salaries before bonuses (which are almost equal for every country listed except India). All the soldiers make more than what is listen thanks to bonuses. This is only used to compare roughly what each soldier bring home before bonuses.

You could add all the bonuses but then the difference in % would probably stay about the same compared to each other.

But you can't compare base salaries fairly. Some benefits mean more than in other countries. If you are going to deduct salary because of the inclusion of a health care benefit provided to the soldier, you might as well and make the next logical step of including the tax rates of said salary in each country.

 

[Masta_Killah]

That wouldn't effect the price a good costs for the individual. A good can vary in price from one nation to the other. Someone could be making 2 dollars in one country and not be able to buy more than the individual in another country that makes 1 dollar. So even though they are making 2 dollars the soda they want to buy could cost 2 in their country and only 1 dollar in the other making the resulting outcome equal for the two in terms of pay.

True, but that's what military stores are for.

 

[WanderingWind]

I was just making the point that true salary is much more then base, and that troops really are taken well care of. Some posters here seem to think that the troops get the short end of the stick when it comes to pay.



So true. My recruiter, who's a Petty Officer, is driving around in a Lexus IS350 and is living in a nice neighborhood, which the military is paying for.

Which he more than likely bought with a bonus and/or hazard pay. Or SDA pay.

...but yeah. RS pay for COL/BAH is very nice.

You'll learn more when you're actually in. It's a good deal, being military, but anybody who does it for the money is either A) Really fucking out options or B) Really fucking stupid.

 

[WanderingWind]

sorry....

I was an E-3, she was an E-4(I put on SrA a couple months afterwards)
we both received BAH of $1300 and 1050 a month and combined was $97,600 gross yearly for two years.

Exactly. What YOU made was not even close to 100K. My wife makes quite a bit of money, too. I don't count that when talking about base salary across the board. That's incredibly disingenuous.

You're not working with a recruiter or anything...are you?

 

[Litflynt912]

Exactly. What YOU made was not even close to 100K. My wife makes quite a bit of money, too. I don't count that when talking about base salary across the board. That's incredibly disingenuous.

You're not working with a recruiter or anything...are you?

forgive me for being old fashioned...what's my wife's is mine and vice versa...
$10K isn't that big a difference, 90K to 100K...all in all...the 8 years of my active military time, I never went hungry...drove expensive cars, lived well and traveled and I felt it was a fair trade for getting rockets hurled at me

now that I am a civilian/reservist...the money I make when I drill (as an E-5 about $400 a weekend) pays for my Tricare so my family continues to have a semi-golden health care plan...I'm just riding out until retirement...

 

[Korey]

For some reason I doubt that soldiers get paid $17k a year.

 

[JBaird]

True, but that's what military stores are for.

lol well that would be considered a benefit and unrelated to this topic. Do all military's have stores though? Plus there are many items that you just can't buy at a store like that.

 

[Calantus]

For some reason I doubt that soldiers get paid $17k a year.

why?

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

lol well that would be considered a benefit and unrelated to this topic. Do all military's have stores though? Plus there are many items that you just can't buy at a store like that.

The Canadian Forces have them (Canex)

 

[ElectricBlue187]

The lesson is: join the Air Force

 

[itxaka]

why?

Too little for a guy that has the possibility to be killed? That is how I see it, I wouldn't put my ass in the line for that little.

 

[MrHicks]

Waste of resources my ass. Our military should be getting far more funding and resources, not less. Try again.

more funding for what?
for the non existant enemy nations canada should worry about going to war with?

canada is untouchable they don't need an army
please explain the need for a canadian army

 

[JBaird]

The Canadian Forces have them (Canex)

Yeah I figured it wasn't too uncommon.

 

[evil solrac v3.0]

For some reason I doubt that soldiers get paid $17k a year.

yeah, they do. but if you get deployed overseas that's extra, if you got kids thats more on top, combat pay, hazard pay, married separation? (forgot) on and on. not to mention the base stores (PX) everything is so freaking CHEAP!! housing is either free or paid for. etc, etc.

 

[Cereal KiIIer]

yeah, they do. but if you get deployed overseas that's extra, if you got kids thats more on top, combat pay, hazard pay, married separation? (forgot) on and on. not to mention the base stores (PX) everything is so freaking CHEAP!! housing is either free or paid for. etc, etc.

But so does the Canadian army. Yet they are paid a lot more.

 

[Korey]

yeah, they do. but if you get deployed overseas that's extra, if you got kids thats more on top, combat pay, hazard pay, married separation? (forgot) on and on. not to mention the base stores (PX) everything is so freaking CHEAP!! housing is either free or paid for. etc, etc.

That's true I guess. Just seems really low for risking your life. 17k is barely over minimum wage isn't it?

 

[Escape Goat]

The lesson is: join the Air Force

true story. My dad was an officer and i have friends in the army. AF has it good. Join USAF!

 

[Neckbeard]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(PPP)_per_capita

United States 46,381
Australia 38,911
Canada 38,025
United Kingdom 34,619
Germany 34,212
France 33,679

Pretty equal I would say (except US which is slightly higher. Which basically means that the soldiers pay -even with bonuses- is lower than the other countries).

33k =/= 38k Sorry. That's almost a 15% increase. even 34 to 38 is over 10%.

 

[HomShaBom]

Too little for a guy that has the possibility to be killed? That is how I see it, I wouldn't put my ass in the line for that little.

That's fine you don't need too. Real men and women do it for you.

 

[WanderingWind]

The lesson is: join the Air Force

In the US, 99% of things that affect pay are DoD wide. The Army actually is the branch that gives out the most in bonuses and other financial benefits.

That's fine you don't need too. Real men and women do it for you.

Oh, stop that shit.

forgive me for being old fashioned...what's my wife's is mine and vice versa...
$10K isn't that big a difference, 90K to 100K...all in all...the 8 years of my active military time, I never went hungry...drove expensive cars, lived well and traveled and I felt it was a fair trade for getting rockets hurled at me

now that I am a civilian/reservist...the money I make when I drill (as an E-5 about $400 a weekend) pays for my Tricare so my family continues to have a semi-golden health care plan...I'm just riding out until retirement...

...so only E-5 after 8 active and four reserve? What did you did, lil airman? :lol

 

[SpacLock]

My buddy is a sergeant in the US Army and he's in the upper 30's. That thing is way off.

 

[Pterion]

US army must have lots of benefits, because I visit car forums all the time and it's crazy what some of these young soldiers drive when they come back.

 

[Jason's Ultimatum]

My buddy is a sergeant in the US Army and he's in the upper 30's. That thing is way off.

It only accounts for first year, chief.

 

[BitchTits]

If there wasn't a war on, I'd join the army.

All that exercise and totty. Shame about the killing/getting killed part of it all.

 

[SUPREME1]

This is skewed...


Can't leave out what US troops earn in bonuses just because the others don't get them due to them being available for free already. That's what eves the playing field.


Bunk..

 

[ElectricBlue187]

In the US, 99% of things that affect pay are DoD wide. The Army actually is the branch that gives out the most in bonuses and other financial benefits.



Oh, stop that shit.

Well there's a few problems with your theory here.

1. To get those few Army bonuses the AF doesn't get you have to put your life in danger
2. Army bases are shit. The housing is shit. It's like living in a housing project. In comparison, I've been to resorts that aren't as nice as AF bases like Eglin, Rammstien, Hickam, even Shaw.
3. The Army has only a few jobs percentage wise that will gain you real good employment in civilian life. Whereas the AF is in the cutting edge in communications and IT

 

[WanderingWind]

US army must have lots of benefits, because I visit car forums all the time and it's crazy what some of these young soldiers drive when they come back.

Yeah. And then they're living off of Monsters for the rest of their tour. There is nothing dumber than a servicemember with a sudden influx of money. :lol

Well there's a few problems with your theory here.

1. To get those few Army bonuses the AF doesn't get you have to put your life in danger
2. Army bases are shit. The housing is shit. It's like living in a housing project. In comparison, I've been to resorts that aren't as nice as AF bases like Eglin, Rammstien, Hickam, even Shaw.
3. The Army has only a few jobs percentage wise that will gain you real good employment in civilian life. Whereas the AF is in the cutting edge in communications and IT

1. What?
2. Try a Marine base for a change. I've been/lived on a representative of all services (except CG...do they even have coastie housing?) and the Corps has the worst housing - by far. But yeah. Eglin and Hurbert Field were pretty damn nice. Holloman...not so much. It all varies. And all services have bases across the globe.
3. That is such utter shit, man. :lol The Army has almost every job the Air Force has. They have a air force of their own. This is nothing more than pointless recruiting drivel.

 

[ItAintEasyBeinCheesy]

Aus soldiers also get danger pay, tax free pay and all sorts of shit when they go into combat........... you have people over here who WANT to go to war so they can get more cash.

 

[TurtleSnatcher]

Yea.


My Uncle is a Captain and makes a shit ton more then 39k a year..

 

[Pterion]

Yeah. And then they're living off of Monsters for the rest of their tour. There is nothing dumber than a servicemember with a sudden influx of money. :lol

:lol