13 top paying cities for software engineers
You need to factor in cost of living to determine real earnings for software engineers

High demand
Software engineers are in high demand across the United States, and depending upon where you live, you can make a killing at this job. But don’t overlook what you’re really making, when you factor in the cost of living. Online jobs marketplace Glassdoor has crunched the numbers by looking at the ratio of each city’s local median software engineer base salary to its official cost of living figures from the federal government.
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Omaha
- Real Adjusted Salary: $88,017
- -5.7% below national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $83,000
- Job Openings on Glassdoor: 121
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Durham-Chapel Hill, N.C.
- Real Adjusted Salary: $88,143
- -4.7% below national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $84,000
- Job Openings: 123
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Dallas-Fort Worth
- Real Adjusted Salary: $88,294
- +0.8% above national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $89,000
- Job Openings: 1,376
Atlanta
- Real Adjusted Salary: $89,286
- -4.8% below national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $85,000
- Job Openings: 1,326
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Portland, Ore.
- Real Adjusted Salary: $89,374
- +0.7% above national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $90,000
- Job Openings: 412
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Sacramento
- Real Adjusted Salary: $89,669
- +2.6% above national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $92,000
- Job Openings: 120
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Boston
- Real Adjusted Salary: $90,171
- +10.9% above national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $100,000
- Job Openings: 1,965
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Austin, Texas
- Real Adjusted Salary: $91,185
- -1.3% below national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $90,000
- Job Openings: 828
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Raleigh, NC
- Real Adjusted Salary: $94,142
- -4.4% below national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $90,000
- Job Openings: 416
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Madison, Wis.
- Real Adjusted Salary: $97,236
- -2.3% below national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $95,000
- Job Openings: 105
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San Francisco
- Real Adjusted Salary: $99,751
- +20.3% above national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $120,000
- Job Openings: 2,232
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San Jose
- Real Adjusted Salary: $100,989
- +21.3% above national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $122,500
- Job Openings: 2,017
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Seattle
- Real Adjusted Salary: $105,735
- +7.1% above national average cost of living
- Median Base Salary: $113,242
- Job Openings: 4,205
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