Senior Software Engineer salary: New York vs San Francisco
NYC pays cash; SF pays equity. Total comp is closer than the headline cash numbers suggest.
Senior Software Engineer median · New York
—
US · live Adzuna
Senior Software Engineer median · San Francisco
—
US · live Adzuna
New York market
New York pays the highest US tech salaries outside the Bay Area, with finance and AI commanding a sharp premium. Total comp is concentrated in cash; equity refresh culture is less aggressive than the West Coast.
San Francisco market
San Francisco remains the highest-paid tech market globally. Cash base salaries lead the country; equity (RSUs, options) typically adds 30-100% to total comp. The contract day-rate market is the deepest in the world for senior engineering and AI roles.
Senior Software Engineer salary in New York (full report)
Percentiles, contract day rate, side-income context.
Senior Software Engineer salary in San Francisco (full report)
Percentiles, contract day rate, side-income context.
Where do you sit on this benchmark?
Hustle Report pulls live medians for your role and postcode every Monday — plus matched side-hustle briefs to close any gap your benchmark exposes.
Compare other cities
More Senior Software Engineer salary comparisons
Same cities, different role