Software Engineer Salary: Denver vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Denver
United States
$140K USD
$140K USD
$140K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-24%
Denver vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$185K USD
$185K USD
$185K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Denver | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $140K USD | $185K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $140K | $185K | -24% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $140K | $185K 🏆 | -24% |
| 25th Percentile | $112K USD | $148K USD | — |
| Median | $140K USD | $185K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $175K USD | $231K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | $151K USD | $200K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Denver offers a Software Engineer salary of $140K USD, while San Francisco offers $185K USD — a difference of -24% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Denver's salary is worth $140K 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.