Software Engineer Salary: Dallas vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Dallas
United States
$138K USD
$138K USD
$138K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-25%
Dallas vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$185K USD
$185K USD
$185K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Dallas | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $138K USD | $185K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $138K | $185K | -25% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $138K | $185K 🏆 | -25% |
| 25th Percentile | $110K USD | $148K USD | — |
| Median | $138K USD | $185K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $173K USD | $231K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | $149K USD | $200K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Dallas offers a Software Engineer salary of $138K USD, while San Francisco offers $185K USD — a difference of -25% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Dallas's salary is worth $138K in US purchasing power terms, versus $185K for San Francisco. This means San Francisco 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.