Software Engineer Salary: Boston vs Shanghai
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Boston
United States
$155K USD
$155K USD
$155K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+191%
Boston vs Shanghai
🇨🇳 Shanghai
China
¥380K CNY
$53K USD
$127K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Boston | Shanghai | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $155K USD | ¥380K CNY | — |
| USD Equivalent | $155K | $53K | +191% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $155K 🏆 | $127K | +22% |
| 25th Percentile | $124K USD | ¥304K CNY | — |
| Median | $155K USD | ¥380K CNY | — |
| 75th Percentile | $194K USD | ¥475K CNY | — |
| Annual Mean | $167K USD | ¥410K CNY | — |
What Does This Mean?
Boston offers a Software Engineer salary of $155K USD, while Shanghai offers $53K USD — a difference of +191% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Boston's salary is worth $155K in US purchasing power terms, versus $127K for Shanghai. 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.