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Software Engineer Salary Comparison

Side-by-side evaluation of salaries, local taxes, monthly expenses, and real purchasing power

✓ Real-time Comparison
🔍 Change Comparison Cities
City 1:
VS
City 2:

💡 Smart Analysis

Comparing Beijing and Seoul: Average gross pay is 23% higher in Seoul. Cost of living is 7% cheaper in Beijing. With higher take-home and lower expenses, Beijing is a more financially comfortable place to live with an affordability score of 7.8/10 compared to 7.5/10.

Category Comparison
🇨🇳
Beijing
🇰🇷
Seoul

💰 Gross Salaries & Ranges

Average Gross Salary (Annual)
The primary average salary across experience ranges
$43,000/yr
$53,000/yr
HIGHER
Junior Developer Pay
$18,000
$29,000
Mid-Level Developer Pay
$36,000
$46,000
Senior Developer Pay
$59,000
$71,000
Lead / Architect Pay
$80,000
$92,000

🏠 Monthly Cost of Living

Rent — City Center (1 Bed)
$900
$1,100
Rent — Suburbs (1 Bed)
$560
$700
Groceries (Monthly)
$230
$280
Public Transport Pass
$45
$70
Utilities (Electricity, Internet)
$140
$150
Estimated Cost of Living
Rent center, groceries, transport plans & hobbies included
$1,620/mo
CHEAPER
$1,748/mo

🧾 Tax rates & Take-home

Average Income Tax Rate
13%
25%
Social Security Deduction
11%
9%
Monthly Take-home (After Tax)
Estimated direct net monthly deposit based on mid-level pay
$2,145/mo
$2,530/mo

📊 Affordability & Savings

Affordability Index
Score out of 10 comparing local net pay to costs
7.8
MORE AFFORDABLE
7.5
Monthly Savings Potential
Money left over after all standard cost of living expenses
$525/mo
$782/mo
Months to Save $10,000
~19 months
~13 months
🇨🇳 Complete Beijing Breakdown & Charts → 🇰🇷 Complete Seoul Breakdown & Charts →