Senior Software Engineer Salary: Boston vs Edinburgh
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Boston
United States
$209K USD
$209K USD
$209K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+135%
Boston vs Edinburgh
🇬🇧 Edinburgh
United Kingdom
£70K GBP
$89K USD
$124K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Boston | Edinburgh | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $209K USD | £70K GBP | — |
| USD Equivalent | $209K | $89K | +135% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $209K 🏆 | $124K | +69% |
| 25th Percentile | $167K USD | £56K GBP | — |
| Median | $209K USD | £70K GBP | — |
| 75th Percentile | $262K USD | £88K GBP | — |
| Annual Mean | $226K USD | £76K GBP | — |
What Does This Mean?
Boston offers a Senior Software Engineer salary of $209K USD, while Edinburgh offers $89K USD — a difference of +135% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Boston's salary is worth $209K in US purchasing power terms, versus $124K for Edinburgh. This means Boston offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.