Free Tool · Updated May 2026

Tech Job Salary Calculator 2025–2026

Instant salary estimates for 14 tech roles across the US, UK, and EU — built from live Google SERP data, May 2026.

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Levels

2026

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Job Role

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Your Salary Estimate

Software Engineer Mid-level (3–5 yrs) 🇺🇸 United States

Base Salary

Annual median base pay

Total Compensation

Base + bonus + equity

$0 Salary Range $0

💰 Compensation Breakdown

Data sourced from Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025, Levels.fyi 2025 End-of-Year Report, IT Job Board UK 2026, and WeAreDevelopers EU Salary Report 2025. Figures are median estimates — actual salaries vary by company, location, and negotiation.

What Is This Tech Salary Calculator?

This tool gives you a data-backed salary estimate for 14 of the most in-demand tech roles across the United States, United Kingdom, and European Union — updated with fresh Google SERP data pulled in May 2026. Pick your region, role, and experience level to see your expected base salary, total compensation (base + bonus + equity), and the realistic salary range you should be negotiating within.

Unlike static salary tables, all figures are cross-referenced for each region — which aggregate the most current job boards, salary databases, and industry surveys — giving you numbers that reflect what’s actually happening in the market right now, not what was true 18 months ago.

How Are the Salary Figures Calculated?

Each role has a median base salary, total compensation, and salary range for four experience levels (junior 0–2 yrs, mid 3–5 yrs, senior 6–9 yrs, principal/staff 10+ yrs) across three regions. Base salary is the annual cash component; total compensation adds estimated annual bonus (typically 10–20% of base) and annualised equity (RSUs or options). The salary range shows the 25th–75th percentile — where most real offers land. Figures shown are national / regional medians. Your specific city, company, and negotiation outcome will push the number within — or sometimes beyond — that range.

Is This Salary Calculator Free?

Yes — permanently free, no sign-up required. ThePivotWave builds free tools for professionals navigating the AI-era job market. Use it as many times as you want, for any role or region.

What Makes These Numbers Reliable?

The salary figures were verified in May 2026 — Google’s synthesis of the highest-authority salary sources for each search query — and cross-checked against the Stack Overflow Developer Survey 2025 (65,000+ respondents), Levels.fyi 2025 End-of-Year Report (verified compensation submissions), IT Job Board UK March 2026, and the WeAreDevelopers European Salary Report 2025. Where sources disagreed, the median of the range was used. AI/ML Engineer figures reflect the documented 2025–2026 demand surge: average US AI engineer compensation reached $206,000 in 2025 — a $50,000 increase in a single year.

How Can I Move Up a Salary Band?

The fastest lever in 2025–2026 is specialising toward AI/ML, cloud security, or platform engineering — the three categories commanding the largest premiums above the general software engineer baseline. DataCamp’s Machine Learning Scientist path and Stanford’s ML Specialisation on Coursera are two of the most employer-recognised routes. Beyond skills, company type and location are the two biggest levers: moving from an agency or enterprise role to a high-growth startup typically adds 20–30% without a title change, and targeting companies at the higher end of the market — whether FAANG in the US or London’s Big Tech scene in the UK — can add 40–55% at the same level.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is the AI/ML Engineer salary so much higher than a regular software engineer?▾

Supply and demand. The ratio of open AI engineering roles to available candidates hit 3.2:1 in 2025, meaning there are more than three jobs for every qualified engineer. That scarcity has driven US average AI/ML engineer compensation to $206,000 — a $50,000 jump in a single year, confirmed by both Levels.fyi and independent salary surveys. Senior AI engineers at specialist firms or FAANG companies routinely see $300,000–$500,000+ total compensation. The premium is real and is expected to persist through 2026 given the investment cycle in AI infrastructure.

Why do US salaries look so much higher than UK or EU?▾

Three factors drive the gap. First, US tech salaries — especially in coastal cities and Big Tech — are genuinely higher in absolute terms. Second, US total comp includes large equity packages that inflate the number significantly. Third, UK and EU employment comes with benefits not reflected in the salary figure: statutory 25–30 days paid holiday, employer-funded healthcare, stronger job protections, and generous parental leave. A €82,000 salary in Germany or £70,000 in the UK carries meaningfully different real-world value than the raw comparison suggests. For a like-for-like quality-of-life comparison, Numbeo is a useful tool.

Do these figures apply to remote roles?▾

The figures represent national/regional medians, which include remote roles. In the US, many companies now use geo-banded pay — your salary is tied to where you live, not where the office is. This means a fully-remote engineer in a lower cost-of-living area may be paid 10–20% below the national median shown here. In the UK and EU, remote roles generally track regional (non-capital) rates. Always ask a prospective employer whether they use location-based pay bands before factoring in remote flexibility.

What does “total compensation” include?▾

Total compensation = base salary + annual performance bonus + annualised equity. At junior and mid levels, total comp is close to base because equity grants are modest and bonus eligibility may be limited. At senior and principal levels — especially in the US — annualised RSU (restricted stock unit) vesting often exceeds the base salary itself. The breakdown shown in the calculator splits total comp into approximate base, bonus, and equity proportions based on industry survey averages.

How should I use these figures when negotiating?▾

Anchor to the upper end of the salary range — that’s closer to what strong candidates at well-funded companies are actually receiving. Always negotiate total comp, not just base: ask separately about equity vesting schedule, sign-on bonus, and annual bonus target. Having three independent data points (this calculator, Levels.fyi for US/FAANG roles, and Glassdoor for UK/EU) makes your case much harder to dismiss than a single source.

What is the EU figure based on — which country?▾

The EU figures use Germany as the baseline — it is the largest tech labour market in Europe and consistently sits near the median for Western European tech pay. The Netherlands and Nordic countries (Sweden, Denmark, Norway) pay 10–25% above these figures; France sits roughly at parity; Spain, Italy, and Portugal are 20–35% below; and Eastern European markets (Poland, Czech Republic, Romania) are 40–55% below. Switzerland is an outlier — Zurich pays 50–60% above the German baseline for equivalent roles.

💡 Negotiation Tips

Negotiate total comp — not just base. Ask about equity, sign-on, and bonus structure separately.

Anchor to the top of the salary range shown. That’s where strong candidates at well-funded companies land.

AI/ML skills add a 12–15% premium over general software engineering at the same level.

For EU roles: factor in 25 days PTO, healthcare, and pension — they add 20–35% to effective comp.

Have 2–3 competing data points before negotiating. One source is easy to dismiss.