Software Engineer Salary by City 2026
Comprehensive Analysis of Top 30 US Cities
This comprehensive data page presents 2026 salary benchmarks for software engineers across 30 major US metropolitan areas. The data reflects the significant variations in compensation driven by local market demand, cost of living, and concentration of technology companies. Our adjusted salary metric accounts for regional cost of living differences, providing a more accurate picture of real earning power across different cities. Whether you’re considering relocation, negotiating salary, or planning your career path, this analysis provides crucial insights into geographic wage disparities in the software engineering field.
Top 30 Software Engineer Salaries by City – Ranked
The following table shows average base salary, cost of living index (national average = 100), and cost-of-living adjusted salary for top 30 cities. Rankings are based on adjusted salary to account for regional economic differences.
| Rank | City | State | Avg Salary (Base) | Cost of Living Index | Adjusted Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | San Francisco | CA | $185,000 | 187 | $98,930 |
| 2 | New York City | NY | $175,500 | 179 | $98,045 |
| 3 | Seattle | WA | $168,000 | 158 | $106,329 |
| 4 | Austin | TX | $145,200 | 112 | $129,643 |
| 5 | Denver | CO | $142,500 | 125 | $114,000 |
| 6 | Los Angeles | CA | $162,000 | 165 | $98,182 |
| 7 | Boston | MA | $158,000 | 142 | $111,268 |
| 8 | Washington DC | DC | $155,000 | 151 | $102,649 |
| 9 | Chicago | IL | $138,500 | 108 | $128,241 |
| 10 | Miami | FL | $128,000 | 115 | $111,304 |
| 11 | Portland | OR | $135,000 | 118 | $114,407 |
| 12 | San Diego | CA | $155,000 | 158 | $98,101 |
| 13 | Atlanta | GA | $130,000 | 104 | $125,000 |
| 14 | Phoenix | AZ | $125,500 | 106 | $118,396 |
| 15 | Dallas | TX | $128,000 | 103 | $124,272 |
| 16 | Minneapolis | MN | $125,000 | 106 | $117,925 |
| 17 | Philadelphia | PA | {“@context”: “https://schema.org”, “@type”: “Article”, “headline”: “Software Engineer Salary by City 2026 – All 50 Cities”, “datePublished”: “2026-04-10”, “dateModified”: “2026-04-10”, “author”: {“@type”: “Organization”, “name”: “Engineer Salaries Team”}}
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