Mid-career New York baseline: $90,000. Each city lists local-market pay and a COLI-scaled lifestyle equivalent — the equivalent is not market pay.
| # | City | Local market | Lifestyle equivalent | COLI | Take-Home % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zurich | CHF 47,399 | CHF 89,256 | 122.4 | 64.7% |
| 2 | Geneva | CHF 47,399 | CHF 86,485 | 118.6 | 60.7% |
| 3 | New York | $90,000 | $90,000 | 100.0 | 65.5% |
| 4 | San Francisco | $90,000 | $87,840 | 97.6 | 66.5% |
| 5 | Singapore | S$68,002 | S$102,823 | 87.7 | 76.3% |
| 6 | London | £39,307 | £59,300 | 87.5 | 73.8% |
| 7 | Copenhagen | kr 268,516 | kr 489,613 | 85.7 | 61.4% |
| 8 | Amsterdam | €45,023 | €63,032 | 82.6 | 63.0% |
| 9 | Boston | $90,000 | $74,160 | 82.4 | 66.8% |
| 10 | Tel Aviv | ₪161,973 | ₪263,368 | 81.3 | 74.5% |
| 11 | Miami | $90,000 | $72,090 | 80.1 | 75.8% |
| 12 | Washington DC | $90,000 | $71,820 | 79.8 | 67.3% |
| 13 | Seattle | $90,000 | $71,550 | 79.5 | 75.8% |
| 14 | Oslo | kr 452,033 | kr 709,692 | 78.5 | 68.4% |
| 15 | San Diego | $90,000 | $69,750 | 77.5 | 66.5% |
| 16 | Tokyo | ¥4,879,654 | ¥10,777,064 | 77.3 | 74.0% |
| 17 | Los Angeles | $90,000 | $68,670 | 76.3 | 66.5% |
| 18 | Sydney | A$85,682 | A$95,274 | 74.5 | 80.8% |
| 19 | Hong Kong | HK$366,506 | HK$518,747 | 73.6 | 87.7% |
| 20 | Chicago | $90,000 | $65,880 | 73.2 | 70.9% |
| 21 | Dublin | €38,155 | €55,554 | 72.8 | 76.0% |
| 22 | Dubai | AED 163,023 | AED 236,058 | 72.4 | 100.0% |
| 23 | Doha | QAR 150,886 | QAR 227,968 | 69.5 | 100.0% |
| 24 | Seoul | ₩39,991,717 | ₩78,726,551 | 68.9 | 78.8% |
| 25 | Philadelphia | $90,000 | $61,920 | 68.8 | 72.8% |
| 26 | Luxembourg City | €41,971 | €52,196 | 68.4 | 70.8% |
| 27 | Melbourne | A$85,682 | A$87,217 | 68.2 | 80.8% |
| 28 | Abu Dhabi | AED 163,023 | AED 221,060 | 67.8 | 100.0% |
| 29 | Portland | $90,000 | $60,480 | 67.2 | 65.9% |
| 30 | Denver | $90,000 | $59,130 | 65.7 | 71.4% |
| 31 | Vancouver | C$69,456 | C$79,691 | 65.4 | 69.5% |
| 32 | Austin | $90,000 | $58,320 | 64.8 | 75.8% |
| 33 | Tampa | $90,000 | $58,050 | 64.5 | 75.8% |
| 34 | Stockholm | kr 450,644 | kr 526,844 | 64.3 | 61.0% |
| 35 | Perth | A$85,682 | A$81,206 | 63.5 | 80.8% |
| 36 | Atlanta | $90,000 | $56,880 | 63.2 | 70.4% |
| 37 | Nashville | $90,000 | $56,520 | 62.8 | 75.8% |
| 38 | Osaka | ¥4,879,654 | ¥8,755,493 | 62.8 | 74.0% |
| 39 | Dallas | $90,000 | $56,250 | 62.5 | 75.8% |
| 40 | Toronto | C$69,456 | C$75,914 | 62.3 | 68.1% |
| 41 | Edinburgh | £39,307 | £42,086 | 62.1 | 74.6% |
| 42 | Munich | €45,023 | €46,931 | 61.5 | 62.3% |
| 43 | Minneapolis | $90,000 | $55,260 | 61.4 | 68.0% |
| 44 | Auckland | NZ$59,462 | NZ$88,178 | 60.8 | 78.7% |
| 45 | Houston | $90,000 | $54,180 | 60.2 | 75.8% |
| 46 | Charlotte | $90,000 | $53,820 | 59.8 | 71.3% |
| 47 | Phoenix | $90,000 | $53,010 | 58.9 | 73.3% |
| 48 | Raleigh | $90,000 | $52,740 | 58.6 | 71.3% |
| 49 | Helsinki | €32,050 | €44,413 | 58.2 | 76.8% |
| 50 | Las Vegas | $90,000 | $52,380 | 58.2 | 75.8% |
| 51 | Milan | €24,419 | €44,107 | 57.8 | 67.0% |
| 52 | Nice | €38,918 | €40,215 | 52.7 | 65.3% |
| 53 | Montreal | C$69,456 | C$63,485 | 52.1 | 62.2% |
| 54 | Fukuoka | ¥4,879,654 | ¥7,166,120 | 51.4 | 74.0% |
| 55 | Berlin | €45,023 | €39,071 | 51.2 | 62.3% |
| 56 | Brussels | €32,050 | €38,384 | 50.3 | 72.2% |
| 57 | Rome | €24,419 | €37,621 | 49.3 | 67.0% |
| 58 | Vienna | €32,050 | €36,782 | 48.2 | 66.7% |
| 59 | Paris | €38,918 | €35,790 | 46.9 | 65.3% |
| 60 | Shanghai | ¥121,175 | ¥279,914 | 46.2 | 69.6% |
| 61 | Taipei | NT$853,916 | NT$1,275,181 | 44.8 | 87.4% |
| 62 | Beijing | ¥121,175 | ¥263,555 | 43.5 | 69.6% |
| 63 | Riyadh | SAR 135,000 | SAR 143,775 | 42.6 | 90.2% |
| 64 | Panama City | $16,200 | $38,070 | 42.3 | 85.4% |
| 65 | Barcelona | €24,419 | €32,127 | 42.1 | 71.2% |
| 66 | Shenzhen | ¥121,175 | ¥253,861 | 41.9 | 69.6% |
| 67 | São Paulo | R$72,651 | R$189,800 | 41.8 | 73.0% |
| 68 | Guangzhou | ¥121,175 | ¥234,473 | 38.7 | 69.6% |
| 69 | Madrid | €24,419 | €28,998 | 38.0 | 71.2% |
| 70 | Bangkok | ฿362,603 | ฿1,037,603 | 37.2 | 93.7% |
| 71 | Cancún | MX$213,479 | MX$545,896 | 35.8 | 85.2% |
| 72 | Lisbon | €21,367 | €26,480 | 34.7 | 69.7% |
| 73 | Valencia | €24,419 | €25,564 | 33.5 | 71.2% |
| 74 | Santiago | CLP 12,656,250 | CLP 28,012,500 | 33.2 | 79.3% |
| 75 | Kuala Lumpur | RM 65,873 | RM 120,036 | 32.8 | 84.1% |
| 76 | Mexico City | MX$213,479 | MX$495,576 | 32.5 | 85.2% |
| 77 | Montevideo | $U 529,428 | $U 1,229,029 | 32.5 | 80.8% |
| 78 | Split | €16,788 | €24,267 | 31.8 | 60.0% |
| 79 | Málaga | €24,419 | €23,809 | 31.2 | 71.2% |
| 80 | San José (CR) | ₡7,286,747 | ₡14,209,157 | 31.2 | 89.3% |
| 81 | Playa del Carmen | MX$213,479 | MX$469,654 | 30.8 | 85.2% |
| 82 | Athens | €18,314 | €23,351 | 30.6 | 71.2% |
| 83 | Prague | Kč 539,187 | Kč 634,581 | 30.6 | 74.0% |
| 84 | Phuket | ฿362,603 | ฿850,723 | 30.5 | 93.7% |
| 85 | Porto | €21,367 | €22,969 | 30.1 | 69.7% |
| 86 | Tallinn | €19,841 | €22,054 | 28.9 | 86.3% |
| 87 | Cape Town | R 262,410 | R 465,777 | 28.4 | 81.2% |
| 88 | Warsaw | zł 84,578 | zł 100,084 | 28.4 | 78.5% |
| 89 | Lagos | ₦9,962,349 | ₦38,853,163 | 27.3 | 70.1% |
| 90 | Manila | ₱403,916 | ₱1,353,117 | 26.8 | 89.2% |
| 91 | Ho Chi Minh City | ₫180,000,000 | ₫594,000,000 | 26.4 | 79.5% |
| 92 | Budapest | Ft 6,465,361 | Ft 8,437,297 | 26.1 | 66.5% |
| 93 | Lima | S/30,009 | S/86,026 | 25.8 | 86.7% |
| 94 | Buenos Aires | AR$11,033,133 | AR$25,677,108 | 25.6 | 55.7% |
| 95 | Bali (Denpasar) | Rp 111,144,578 | Rp 351,494,729 | 25.3 | 85.4% |
| 96 | Riga | €16,788 | €19,306 | 25.3 | 69.5% |
| 97 | Phnom Penh | $6,300 | $22,320 | 24.8 | 100.0% |
| 98 | Nairobi | KSh 813,592 | KSh 2,870,817 | 24.7 | 71.7% |
| 99 | Jakarta | Rp 111,144,578 | Rp 340,380,271 | 24.5 | 85.4% |
| 100 | Hanoi | ₫180,000,000 | ₫542,250,000 | 24.1 | 79.5% |
| 101 | Krakow | zł 84,578 | zł 83,873 | 23.8 | 78.5% |
| 102 | Istanbul | ₺460,843 | ₺665,343 | 23.1 | 62.7% |
| 103 | Bogotá | COP 37,409,639 | COP 85,668,072 | 22.9 | 92.0% |
| 104 | Chiang Mai | ฿362,603 | ฿630,372 | 22.6 | 93.7% |
| 105 | Bucharest | lei 68,557 | lei 85,697 | 22.5 | 55.0% |
| 106 | Mumbai | ₹748,870 | ₹1,669,981 | 22.3 | 93.8% |
| 107 | Casablanca | MAD 69,940 | MAD 193,209 | 22.1 | 83.7% |
| 108 | Bangalore | ₹748,870 | ₹1,557,651 | 20.8 | 93.8% |
| 109 | Medellín | COP 37,409,639 | COP 76,315,663 | 20.4 | 92.0% |
| 110 | Delhi | ₹748,870 | ₹1,460,297 | 19.5 | 93.8% |
| 111 | Marrakech | MAD 69,940 | MAD 167,855 | 19.2 | 83.7% |
| 112 | Chennai | ₹748,870 | ₹1,415,365 | 18.9 | 93.8% |
| 113 | Cairo | E£263,494 | E£737,783 | 16.8 | 72.3% |
Data covers 113 cities. Local market = verified / OECD / COLI badge (same as /is-my-salary-good/). Lifestyle equivalent = NYC baseline × city COLI / 100 — not market pay. Updated 2026.
Typical consultant salary range (New York baseline, USD):
The mid-career consultant New York baseline is $90,000. Each city shows two numbers: local-market pay (verified national stats, OECD estimate, or COLI fallback) and a lifestyle equivalent (NYC baseline scaled by city COLI). The equivalent is not what someone earns locally.
The highest COLI-scaled lifestyle equivalent for a consultant is Zurich at $110,160 USD. That figure is purchasing-power scaled from the New York baseline, not local market pay. See both columns in the table for all 113 cities.
Local-market pay uses the same country multipliers as /is-my-salary-good/ (verified national statistics, OECD wage ratios, or COLI fallback). Lifestyle equivalent starts from the New York baseline and scales by city COLI (NYC = 100). Take-home percentage is tax and social contributions on the local-market figure.