Phoenix software engineer salary: rankings and context
Monthly take-home on that median is roughly US$9,300; local prices sit at COL 100, so its buying power is about US$131,800.
Phoenix vs the national and AZ picture
Directly above Phoenix is Miami (US$132,650); directly below is Jacksonville (US$130,330). The full range runs from US$128,430 in San Antonio to US$213,110 in San Jose.
No other AZ metro has observed software engineer percentiles here, so Phoenix is judged against the 21-metro national list instead.
What the Phoenix median is worth after tax and rent
With a COL index of 100, there is little difference between headline pay and price-adjusted pay (US$131,800).
Adjusting for prices does not move Phoenix in the ranking: it is 18th of 21 on both cash and buying power.
Run the median through our simplified tax model (15% effective) and about US$9,300 lands each month. Budget US$1,650 for a modeled 1-bedroom — 18% of pay — and other modeled costs, and roughly US$5,780 remains.
If you compared Phoenix with similarly priced cities
A software engineer moving from Phoenix to New York (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 27% to US$166,830, with US$2,230 more left over monthly in our model.
In Los Angeles — similar cost level, COL 100 — the median is US$160,920 (+22% vs Phoenix), and the modeled budget leaves US$1,850 more each month.
A software engineer moving from Phoenix to Chicago (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 2% to US$134,380, with US$170 more left over monthly in our model.
Where Software Engineer ranks among Phoenix jobs
Software Engineer ranks 2nd of 9 occupations with observed Phoenix data. Lawyer leads the city at US$135,670.
Closest neighbours in the Phoenix list: Data Scientist at US$114,540 (-13%).
How Phoenix ranks at the low and high end
Entry-level software engineers fare better here (16th of 21 at the 10th percentile, US$82,500) than senior ones (17th at the 90th, US$180,460).
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$289,150 at the 90th percentile, +60% against Phoenix.
The software engineer pay range in Phoenix
Expect wide variation between offers: the 10th percentile is US$82,500 and the 90th US$180,460, a 2.2× ratio.