Software Engineer Salary: Austin vs New York
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Austin
United States
$145K USD
$145K USD
$145K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-9%
Austin vs New York
🇺🇸 New York
United States
$160K USD
$160K USD
$160K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Austin | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $145K USD | $160K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $145K | $160K | -9% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $145K | $160K 🏆 | -9% |
| 25th Percentile | $116K USD | $128K USD | — |
| Median | $145K USD | $160K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $181K USD | $200K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | $157K USD | $173K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Austin offers a Software Engineer salary of $145K USD, while New York offers $160K USD — a difference of -9% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Austin's salary is worth $145K in US purchasing power terms, versus $160K for New York. This means New York 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.