Salary comparison · 2026
Software Engineer salary by country
The pay gap between the highest and lowest market for the same software engineer role is 2.6x. Employer location is the single biggest salary lever in this career.
A software engineer earns the most in United States, with a 2026 median of $130,000 per year, and the least of these 12 markets in Spain at $50,000. Full comparison below, entry level to senior.
| Country | Entry | Median | Senior | Local median | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸 United States | $73k | $130k | $250k | $130k | Details → |
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $73k | $130k | $250k | CHF 115k | Details → |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $62k | $110k | $210k | AED 405k | Details → |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $59k | $105k | $200k | A$160k | Details → |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $59k | $105k | $200k | S$140k | Details → |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $55k | $98k | $185k | C$135k | Details → |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $44k | $78k | $150k | €72k | Details → |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $44k | $77k | $145k | €71k | Details → |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $43k | $76k | $145k | €70k | Details → |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $42k | $75k | $145k | £59k | Details → |
| 🇫🇷 France | $38k | $67k | $125k | €62k | Details → |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $28k | $50k | $96k | €46k | Details → |
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Gross annual estimates from the Paygrade research dataset, updated 7 July 2026. Method explained on the methodology page.