Software Engineer Salary: Lisbon vs New York
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇵🇹 Lisbon
Portugal
€38K EUR
$41K USD
$66K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-74%
Lisbon vs New York
🇺🇸 New York
United States
$160K USD
$160K USD
$160K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Lisbon | New York | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | €38K EUR | $160K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $41K | $160K | -74% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $66K | $160K 🏆 | -59% |
| 25th Percentile | €30K EUR | $128K USD | — |
| Median | €38K EUR | $160K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | €48K EUR | $200K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | €41K EUR | $173K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Lisbon offers a Software Engineer salary of $41K USD, while New York offers $160K USD — a difference of -74% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Lisbon's salary is worth $66K 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.