Salary comparison · 2026
Machine Learning Engineer salary by country
The pay gap between the highest and lowest market for the same machine learning engineer role is 2.5x. Employer location is the single biggest salary lever in this career.
A machine learning engineer earns the most in United States, with a 2026 median of $165,000 per year, and the least of these 12 markets in Spain at $65,000. Full comparison below, entry level to senior.
| Country | Entry | Median | Senior | Local median | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | $115k | $165k | $340k | $165k | Details → |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $115k | $165k | $345k | CHF 145k | Details → |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $97k | $140k | $290k | AED 515k | Details → |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $91k | $130k | $275k | A$195k | Details → |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $91k | $130k | $275k | S$175k | Details → |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $85k | $125k | $255k | C$170k | Details → |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $69k | $100k | $205k | £79k | Details → |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $70k | $100k | $210k | €92k | Details → |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $68k | $99k | $205k | €91k | Details → |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $67k | $97k | $200k | €89k | Details → |
| 🇫🇷 France | $59k | $86k | $175k | €79k | Details → |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $45k | $65k | $135k | €60k | Details → |
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How to become a machine learning engineer
What machine learning engineers really earn in the US, UK and EU, what the job actually involves day to day, and the realistic route in from software or data.
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Gross annual estimates from the Paygrade research dataset, updated 7 July 2026. Method explained on the methodology page.