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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 Chengdu and Shanghai: Average gross pay is 24% higher in Shanghai. Cost of living is 24% cheaper in Chengdu. With higher take-home and lower expenses, Chengdu is a more financially comfortable place to live with an affordability score of 8/10 compared to 7.6/10.

Category Comparison
🇨🇳
Chengdu
🇨🇳
Shanghai

💰 Gross Salaries & Ranges

Average Gross Salary (Annual)
The primary average salary across experience ranges
$37,000/yr
$46,000/yr
HIGHER
Junior Developer Pay
$16,000
$20,000
Mid-Level Developer Pay
$31,000
$39,000
Senior Developer Pay
$51,000
$63,000
Lead / Architect Pay
$67,000
$84,000

🏠 Monthly Cost of Living

Rent — City Center (1 Bed)
$720
$1,000
Rent — Suburbs (1 Bed)
$445
$620
Groceries (Monthly)
$200
$250
Public Transport Pass
$40
$48
Utilities (Electricity, Internet)
$128
$150
Estimated Cost of Living
Rent center, groceries, transport plans & hobbies included
$1,327/mo
CHEAPER
$1,747/mo

🧾 Tax rates & Take-home

Average Income Tax Rate
13%
13%
Social Security Deduction
11%
11%
Monthly Take-home (After Tax)
Estimated direct net monthly deposit based on mid-level pay
$1,847/mo
$2,324/mo

📊 Affordability & Savings

Affordability Index
Score out of 10 comparing local net pay to costs
8
MORE AFFORDABLE
7.6
Monthly Savings Potential
Money left over after all standard cost of living expenses
$520/mo
$577/mo
Months to Save $10,000
~19 months
~17 months
🇨🇳 Complete Chengdu Breakdown & Charts → 🇨🇳 Complete Shanghai Breakdown & Charts →