Software Engineer Salary: Sydney vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇦🇺 Sydney
Australia
A$130K AUD
$85K USD
$116K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-54%
Sydney vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$185K USD
$185K USD
$185K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Sydney | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | A$130K AUD | $185K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $85K | $185K | -54% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $116K | $185K 🏆 | -37% |
| 25th Percentile | A$104K AUD | $148K USD | — |
| Median | A$130K AUD | $185K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | A$163K AUD | $231K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | A$140K AUD | $200K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Sydney offers a Software Engineer salary of $85K USD, while San Francisco offers $185K USD — a difference of -54% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Sydney's salary is worth $116K 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.