Mid-career base salary: $52,000 in New York. See what it’s worth in 182 cities after adjusting for cost of living and taxes.
| # | City | Salary (Local) | Salary (USD) | COLI | Take-Home % |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Zurich | CHF 51,570 | $63,648 | 122.4 | -3480.0% |
| 2 | Geneva | CHF 49,969 | $61,672 | 118.6 | -3850.0% |
| 3 | New York | $52,000 | $52,000 | 100.0 | -2940.0% |
| 4 | San Francisco | $50,752 | $50,752 | 97.6 | -2820.0% |
| 5 | Singapore | S$59,409 | $45,604 | 87.7 | -2220.0% |
| 6 | London | £34,262 | $45,500 | 87.5 | -2490.0% |
| 7 | Copenhagen | kr 282,887 | $44,564 | 85.7 | -3790.0% |
| 8 | Amsterdam | €36,419 | $42,952 | 82.6 | -3600.0% |
| 9 | Boston | $42,848 | $42,848 | 82.4 | -2710.0% |
| 10 | Tel Aviv | ₪152,168 | $42,276 | 81.3 | -2400.0% |
| 11 | Miami | $41,652 | $41,652 | 80.1 | -1810.0% |
| 12 | Washington DC | $41,496 | $41,496 | 79.8 | -2660.0% |
| 13 | Seattle | $41,340 | $41,340 | 79.5 | -1810.0% |
| 14 | Oslo | kr 410,044 | $40,820 | 78.5 | -3040.0% |
| 15 | San Diego | $40,300 | $40,300 | 77.5 | -2740.0% |
| 16 | Tokyo | ¥6,226,748 | $40,196 | 77.3 | -2690.0% |
| 17 | Los Angeles | $39,676 | $39,676 | 76.3 | -2740.0% |
| 18 | Sydney | A$55,047 | $38,740 | 74.5 | -1230.0% |
| 19 | Hong Kong | HK$299,720 | $38,272 | 73.6 | -1030.0% |
| 20 | Chicago | $38,064 | $38,064 | 73.2 | -2300.0% |
| 21 | Dublin | €32,098 | $37,856 | 72.8 | -2300.0% |
| 22 | Dubai | AED 136,389 | $37,648 | 72.4 | 100.0% |
| 23 | Doha | QAR 131,715 | $36,140 | 69.5 | 100.0% |
| 24 | Seoul | ₩45,486,452 | $35,828 | 68.9 | -2060.0% |
| 25 | Philadelphia | $35,776 | $35,776 | 68.8 | -2110.0% |
| 26 | Luxembourg City | €30,158 | $35,568 | 68.4 | -2300.0% |
| 27 | Melbourne | A$50,392 | $35,464 | 68.2 | -1070.0% |
| 28 | Abu Dhabi | AED 127,723 | $35,256 | 67.8 | 100.0% |
| 29 | Portland | $34,944 | $34,944 | 67.2 | -2790.0% |
| 30 | Denver | $34,164 | $34,164 | 65.7 | -2240.0% |
| 31 | Vancouver | C$46,044 | $34,008 | 65.4 | -2850.0% |
| 32 | Austin | $33,696 | $33,696 | 64.8 | -1800.0% |
| 33 | Tampa | $33,540 | $33,540 | 64.5 | -1800.0% |
| 34 | Stockholm | kr 304,399 | $33,436 | 64.3 | -3800.0% |
| 35 | Perth | A$46,919 | $33,020 | 63.5 | -940.0% |
| 36 | Atlanta | $32,864 | $32,864 | 63.2 | -2340.0% |
| 37 | Nashville | $32,656 | $32,656 | 62.8 | -1790.0% |
| 38 | Osaka | ¥5,058,729 | $32,656 | 62.8 | -2530.0% |
| 39 | Dallas | $32,500 | $32,500 | 62.5 | -1790.0% |
| 40 | Toronto | C$43,861 | $32,396 | 62.3 | -2990.0% |
| 41 | Edinburgh | £24,316 | $32,292 | 62.1 | -2280.0% |
| 42 | Munich | €27,116 | $31,980 | 61.5 | -3160.0% |
| 43 | Minneapolis | $31,928 | $31,928 | 61.4 | -2580.0% |
| 44 | Auckland | NZ$50,947 | $31,616 | 60.8 | -1830.0% |
| 45 | Houston | $31,304 | $31,304 | 60.2 | -1790.0% |
| 46 | Charlotte | $31,096 | $31,096 | 59.8 | -2240.0% |
| 47 | Phoenix | $30,628 | $30,628 | 58.9 | -2040.0% |
| 48 | Raleigh | $30,472 | $30,472 | 58.6 | -2240.0% |
| 49 | Helsinki | €25,661 | $30,264 | 58.2 | -1680.0% |
| 50 | Las Vegas | $30,264 | $30,264 | 58.2 | -1790.0% |
| 51 | Milan | €25,484 | $30,056 | 57.8 | -3200.0% |
| 52 | Nice | €23,236 | $27,404 | 52.7 | -2670.0% |
| 53 | Montreal | C$36,680 | $27,092 | 52.1 | -3580.0% |
| 54 | Fukuoka | ¥4,140,425 | $26,728 | 51.4 | -2340.0% |
| 55 | Berlin | €22,574 | $26,624 | 51.2 | -2900.0% |
| 56 | Brussels | €22,177 | $26,156 | 50.3 | -1990.0% |
| 57 | Rome | €21,737 | $25,636 | 49.3 | -3180.0% |
| 58 | Vienna | €21,252 | $25,064 | 48.2 | -2500.0% |
| 59 | Paris | €20,678 | $24,388 | 46.9 | -2600.0% |
| 60 | Shanghai | ¥161,728 | $24,024 | 46.2 | -3100.0% |
| 61 | Taipei | NT$736,771 | $23,296 | 44.8 | -1080.0% |
| 62 | Beijing | ¥152,276 | $22,620 | 43.5 | -3040.0% |
| 63 | Riyadh | SAR 83,070 | $22,152 | 42.6 | -880.0% |
| 64 | Panama City | $21,996 | $21,996 | 42.3 | -1620.0% |
| 65 | Barcelona | €18,562 | $21,892 | 42.1 | -2600.0% |
| 66 | Shenzhen | ¥146,675 | $21,788 | 41.9 | -3000.0% |
| 67 | São Paulo | R$109,662 | $21,736 | 41.8 | -3030.0% |
| 68 | Guangzhou | ¥135,473 | $20,124 | 38.7 | -2960.0% |
| 69 | Madrid | €16,754 | $19,760 | 38.0 | -2560.0% |
| 70 | Bangkok | ฿599,504 | $19,344 | 37.2 | -760.0% |
| 71 | Cancún | MX$315,407 | $18,616 | 35.8 | -1680.0% |
| 72 | Lisbon | €15,299 | $18,044 | 34.7 | -2680.0% |
| 73 | Valencia | €14,770 | $17,420 | 33.5 | -2510.0% |
| 74 | Santiago | CLP 16,185,000 | $17,264 | 33.2 | -2030.0% |
| 75 | Kuala Lumpur | RM 69,354 | $17,056 | 32.8 | -1520.0% |
| 76 | Mexico City | MX$286,333 | $16,900 | 32.5 | -1610.0% |
| 77 | Montevideo | $U 710,105 | $16,900 | 32.5 | -2080.0% |
| 78 | Split | €14,021 | $16,536 | 31.8 | -3900.0% |
| 79 | Málaga | €13,756 | $16,224 | 31.2 | -2480.0% |
| 80 | San José (CR) | ₡8,209,735 | $16,224 | 31.2 | -970.0% |
| 81 | Playa del Carmen | MX$271,355 | $16,016 | 30.8 | -1580.0% |
| 82 | Athens | €13,492 | $15,912 | 30.6 | -2520.0% |
| 83 | Prague | Kč 366,647 | $15,912 | 30.6 | -2500.0% |
| 84 | Phuket | ฿491,529 | $15,860 | 30.5 | -630.0% |
| 85 | Porto | €13,271 | $15,652 | 30.1 | -2590.0% |
| 86 | Tallinn | €12,742 | $15,028 | 28.9 | -830.0% |
| 87 | Cape Town | R 269,116 | $14,768 | 28.4 | -1800.0% |
| 88 | Warsaw | zł 57,827 | $14,768 | 28.4 | -1850.0% |
| 89 | Lagos | ₦22,448,494 | $14,196 | 27.3 | -3010.0% |
| 90 | Manila | ₱781,801 | $13,936 | 26.8 | -1660.0% |
| 91 | Ho Chi Minh City | ₫343,200,000 | $13,728 | 26.4 | -2370.0% |
| 92 | Budapest | Ft 4,874,883 | $13,572 | 26.1 | -3250.0% |
| 93 | Lima | S/49,704 | $13,416 | 25.8 | -1530.0% |
| 94 | Buenos Aires | AR$14,835,663 | $13,312 | 25.6 | -4530.0% |
| 95 | Bali (Denpasar) | Rp 203,085,843 | $13,156 | 25.3 | -1600.0% |
| 96 | Riga | €11,155 | $13,156 | 25.3 | -2950.0% |
| 97 | Phnom Penh | $12,896 | $12,896 | 24.8 | 100.0% |
| 98 | Nairobi | KSh 1,658,694 | $12,844 | 24.7 | -3120.0% |
| 99 | Jakarta | Rp 196,664,157 | $12,740 | 24.5 | -1590.0% |
| 100 | Hanoi | ₫313,300,000 | $12,532 | 24.1 | -2320.0% |
| 101 | Krakow | zł 48,460 | $12,376 | 23.8 | -1730.0% |
| 102 | Istanbul | ₺384,420 | $12,012 | 23.1 | -3540.0% |
| 103 | Bogotá | COP 49,497,108 | $11,908 | 22.9 | -830.0% |
| 104 | Chiang Mai | ฿364,215 | $11,752 | 22.6 | -530.0% |
| 105 | Bucharest | lei 49,514 | $11,700 | 22.5 | -4400.0% |
| 106 | Mumbai | ₹964,878 | $11,596 | 22.3 | -610.0% |
| 107 | Casablanca | MAD 111,632 | $11,492 | 22.1 | -2390.0% |
| 108 | Bangalore | ₹899,976 | $10,816 | 20.8 | -580.0% |
| 109 | Medellín | COP 44,093,494 | $10,608 | 20.4 | -700.0% |
| 110 | Delhi | ₹843,727 | $10,140 | 19.5 | -560.0% |
| 111 | Marrakech | MAD 96,983 | $9,984 | 19.2 | -2160.0% |
| 112 | Chennai | ₹817,767 | $9,828 | 18.9 | -550.0% |
| 113 | Cairo | E£426,275 | $8,736 | 16.8 | -2910.0% |
Data covers 182 cities worldwide. Salaries adjusted by Cost of Living Index (New York = 100). Updated 2026.
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Try Wise for Free →Typical journalist salary range (New York baseline, USD):
The mid-career journalist base salary is $52,000 (New York baseline). Entry-level starts around $25,000 and senior roles can reach $95,000. These figures are adjusted for each city using local cost of living.
After adjusting for cost of living, Zurich offers the highest journalist salary at $63,648 (USD equivalent). See the full table above for all 182 cities.
We start with the New York baseline salary and scale it by each city's Cost of Living Index (COLI). For example, a city with COLI 50 means living costs are half of New York, so the adjusted salary is 50% of the baseline. Take-home percentage accounts for local income tax and social contributions.
Cost of living indices (COLI) are benchmarked to New York City = 100 and derived from Numbeo and Expatistan crowd-sourced price surveys, cross-referenced with national statistics agencies.
Salary ranges are compiled from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (OES), Glassdoor, PayScale, and the Robert Half Salary Guide. Tax rates use 2026 published brackets from OECD Taxing Wages and national tax authorities. Exchange rates from the European Central Bank. Rent data from Numbeo Property Prices.
Last updated: 2026-02-28. Data is refreshed periodically. All figures are estimates for informational purposes only and should not be used as the sole basis for financial decisions.