Software Engineer Salary: San Francisco vs Toronto
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$185K USD
$185K USD
$185K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+117%
San Francisco vs Toronto
🇨🇦 Toronto
Canada
CA$115K CAD
$85K USD
$104K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | San Francisco | Toronto | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $185K USD | CA$115K CAD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $185K | $85K | +117% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $185K 🏆 | $104K | +78% |
| 25th Percentile | $148K USD | CA$92K CAD | — |
| Median | $185K USD | CA$115K CAD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $231K USD | CA$144K CAD | — |
| Annual Mean | $200K USD | CA$124K CAD | — |
What Does This Mean?
San Francisco offers a Software Engineer salary of $185K USD, while Toronto offers $85K USD — a difference of +117% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), San Francisco's salary is worth $185K in US purchasing power terms, versus $104K for Toronto. 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.