Annual report · 2026
Developer Salary Report 2026
Flagship planning benchmark for mid-level software engineer compensation across 20 markets. Built from the Toolminator Salary Index—static model ranges for negotiation prep and relocation research, not live payroll surveys.
Content revision: 2026-05
Figures use Toolminator's static salary model (ranges for comparison, not job listings). Methodology & limitations.
Executive summary
- Median mid-level software engineer gross across 38 countries: $72,595 (static model).
- Nominal leader: Switzerland at $185,840 mid-level USD equivalent.
- Buying-power leader: Canada at $145,188 US-equivalent heuristic.
- FX snapshot: frankfurter.app + open.er-api.com (2026-10-20). Revision 2026-05.
Methodology & limits
Country bands use curated benchmarks multiplied by demand, seniority, and cost-of-living heuristics at build time. USD equivalents use daily FX for cross-border comparison. Tax and take-home notes on drill-down pages are simplified—see salary methodology and editorial standards.
Global rankings — nominal USD (mid-level)
| # | Country | Mid gross USD | Buying power |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Switzerland | $185,840 | $145,188 |
| 2 | Norway | $152,447 | $145,188 |
| 3 | Singapore | $148,092 | $145,188 |
| 4 | Israel | $140,832 | $145,188 |
| 5 | United Kingdom | $137,929 | $145,188 |
| 6 | Ireland | $135,024 | $145,187 |
| 7 | Canada | $133,573 | $145,188 |
| 8 | Netherlands | $130,668 | $145,187 |
| 9 | Belgium | $127,765 | $145,188 |
| 10 | United States | $127,500 | $127,500 |
Buying power leaders
Gross USD ÷ static CoL index—high nominal pay in expensive hubs may rank lower here.
- 1. Switzerland — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 2. Norway — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 3. Singapore — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 4. Israel — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 5. United Kingdom — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 7. Canada — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 9. Belgium — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 11. Italy — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 12. Spain — $145,188 US-equivalent
- 17. Poland — $145,188 US-equivalent
Regional averages
North America
3 countries · avg gross $98,362 · avg buying power $117,891
Middle East
2 countries · avg gross $111,260 · avg buying power $115,588
Africa
1 countries · avg gross $56,448 · avg buying power $108,554
Europe
19 countries · avg gross $90,699 · avg buying power $106,332
South America
2 countries · avg gross $36,091 · avg buying power $96,220
Oceania
2 countries · avg gross $82,094 · avg buying power $89,805
Asia
9 countries · avg gross $51,246 · avg buying power $80,271
City mobility
Hub-to-hub comparisons with city salary and CoL multipliers on top of country bands.
Dataset & citation
Cite as: Toolminator Developer Salary Report 2026 (https://toolminator.com/reports/2026-developer-salary/) with link to methodology. Underlying rows: Salary Index 2026 (CC BY 4.0 with attribution).