Mid-career New York baseline: $100,000. 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 46,994 | CHF 99,173 | 122.4 | 64.7% |
| 2 | Geneva | CHF 46,994 | CHF 96,095 | 118.6 | 60.7% |
| 3 | New York | $100,000 | $100,000 | 100.0 | 65.0% |
| 4 | San Francisco | $100,000 | $97,600 | 97.6 | 66.0% |
| 5 | Singapore | S$71,649 | S$114,248 | 87.7 | 76.1% |
| 6 | London | £39,157 | £65,889 | 87.5 | 73.8% |
| 7 | Copenhagen | kr 279,307 | kr 544,014 | 85.7 | 61.2% |
| 8 | Amsterdam | €45,786 | €70,036 | 82.6 | 63.0% |
| 9 | Boston | $100,000 | $82,400 | 82.4 | 66.3% |
| 10 | Tel Aviv | ₪158,373 | ₪292,631 | 81.3 | 74.7% |
| 11 | Miami | $100,000 | $80,100 | 80.1 | 75.3% |
| 12 | Washington DC | $100,000 | $79,800 | 79.8 | 66.8% |
| 13 | Seattle | $100,000 | $79,500 | 79.5 | 75.3% |
| 14 | Oslo | kr 482,169 | kr 788,547 | 78.5 | 68.2% |
| 15 | San Diego | $100,000 | $77,500 | 77.5 | 66.0% |
| 16 | Tokyo | ¥5,421,837 | ¥11,974,515 | 77.3 | 73.1% |
| 17 | Los Angeles | $100,000 | $76,300 | 76.3 | 66.0% |
| 18 | Sydney | A$63,942 | A$105,860 | 74.5 | 84.4% |
| 19 | Hong Kong | HK$454,217 | HK$576,386 | 73.6 | 86.8% |
| 20 | Chicago | $100,000 | $73,200 | 73.2 | 70.3% |
| 21 | Dublin | €40,699 | €61,727 | 72.8 | 76.0% |
| 22 | Dubai | AED 188,383 | AED 262,286 | 72.4 | 100.0% |
| 23 | Doha | QAR 167,651 | QAR 253,298 | 69.5 | 100.0% |
| 24 | Seoul | ₩45,704,819 | ₩87,473,946 | 68.9 | 78.4% |
| 25 | Philadelphia | $100,000 | $68,800 | 68.8 | 72.2% |
| 26 | Luxembourg City | €40,699 | €57,996 | 68.4 | 71.3% |
| 27 | Melbourne | A$63,942 | A$96,908 | 68.2 | 84.4% |
| 28 | Abu Dhabi | AED 188,383 | AED 245,622 | 67.8 | 100.0% |
| 29 | Portland | $100,000 | $67,200 | 67.2 | 65.4% |
| 30 | Denver | $100,000 | $65,700 | 65.7 | 70.9% |
| 31 | Vancouver | C$81,235 | C$88,546 | 65.4 | 69.8% |
| 32 | Austin | $100,000 | $64,800 | 64.8 | 75.3% |
| 33 | Tampa | $100,000 | $64,500 | 64.5 | 75.3% |
| 34 | Stockholm | kr 482,508 | kr 585,382 | 64.3 | 61.0% |
| 35 | Perth | A$63,942 | A$90,229 | 63.5 | 84.4% |
| 36 | Atlanta | $100,000 | $63,200 | 63.2 | 69.8% |
| 37 | Nashville | $100,000 | $62,800 | 62.8 | 75.3% |
| 38 | Osaka | ¥5,421,837 | ¥9,728,325 | 62.8 | 73.1% |
| 39 | Dallas | $100,000 | $62,500 | 62.5 | 75.3% |
| 40 | Toronto | C$81,235 | C$84,349 | 62.3 | 68.4% |
| 41 | Edinburgh | £39,157 | £46,762 | 62.1 | 74.6% |
| 42 | Munich | €46,634 | €52,145 | 61.5 | 62.0% |
| 43 | Minneapolis | $100,000 | $61,400 | 61.4 | 67.4% |
| 44 | Auckland | NZ$64,458 | NZ$97,976 | 60.8 | 77.8% |
| 45 | Houston | $100,000 | $60,200 | 60.2 | 75.3% |
| 46 | Charlotte | $100,000 | $59,800 | 59.8 | 70.8% |
| 47 | Phoenix | $100,000 | $58,900 | 58.9 | 72.8% |
| 48 | Raleigh | $100,000 | $58,600 | 58.6 | 70.8% |
| 49 | Helsinki | €33,916 | €49,347 | 58.2 | 75.4% |
| 50 | Las Vegas | $100,000 | $58,200 | 58.2 | 75.3% |
| 51 | Milan | €25,437 | €49,008 | 57.8 | 67.0% |
| 52 | Nice | €46,634 | €44,684 | 52.7 | 62.4% |
| 53 | Montreal | C$81,235 | C$70,539 | 52.1 | 62.5% |
| 54 | Fukuoka | ¥5,421,837 | ¥7,962,355 | 51.4 | 73.1% |
| 55 | Berlin | €46,634 | €43,412 | 51.2 | 62.0% |
| 56 | Brussels | €32,220 | €42,649 | 50.3 | 72.1% |
| 57 | Rome | €25,437 | €41,801 | 49.3 | 67.0% |
| 58 | Vienna | €32,220 | €40,868 | 48.2 | 66.7% |
| 59 | Paris | €46,634 | €39,766 | 46.9 | 62.4% |
| 60 | Shanghai | ¥121,175 | ¥311,015 | 46.2 | 69.6% |
| 61 | Taipei | NT$885,542 | NT$1,416,867 | 44.8 | 87.3% |
| 62 | Beijing | ¥121,175 | ¥292,839 | 43.5 | 69.6% |
| 63 | Riyadh | SAR 142,500 | SAR 159,750 | 42.6 | 90.2% |
| 64 | Panama City | $14,000 | $42,300 | 42.3 | 87.0% |
| 65 | Barcelona | €25,437 | €35,696 | 42.1 | 70.9% |
| 66 | Shenzhen | ¥121,175 | ¥282,068 | 41.9 | 69.6% |
| 67 | São Paulo | R$75,678 | R$210,889 | 41.8 | 72.5% |
| 68 | Guangzhou | ¥121,175 | ¥260,526 | 38.7 | 69.6% |
| 69 | Madrid | €25,437 | €32,220 | 38.0 | 70.9% |
| 70 | Bangkok | ฿371,901 | ฿1,152,892 | 37.2 | 93.6% |
| 71 | Cancún | MX$203,313 | MX$606,551 | 35.8 | 85.7% |
| 72 | Lisbon | €21,197 | €29,422 | 34.7 | 69.8% |
| 73 | Valencia | €25,437 | €28,404 | 33.5 | 70.9% |
| 74 | Santiago | CLP 13,125,000 | CLP 31,125,000 | 33.2 | 79.2% |
| 75 | Kuala Lumpur | RM 73,193 | RM 133,373 | 32.8 | 83.1% |
| 76 | Mexico City | MX$203,313 | MX$550,640 | 32.5 | 85.7% |
| 77 | Montevideo | $U 546,235 | $U 1,365,587 | 32.5 | 80.5% |
| 78 | Split | €16,958 | €26,963 | 31.8 | 60.0% |
| 79 | Málaga | €25,437 | €26,454 | 31.2 | 70.9% |
| 80 | San José (CR) | ₡7,084,337 | ₡15,787,952 | 31.2 | 89.3% |
| 81 | Playa del Carmen | MX$203,313 | MX$521,837 | 30.8 | 85.7% |
| 82 | Athens | €20,349 | €25,945 | 30.6 | 70.4% |
| 83 | Prague | Kč 553,012 | Kč 705,090 | 30.6 | 74.0% |
| 84 | Phuket | ฿371,901 | ฿945,247 | 30.5 | 93.6% |
| 85 | Porto | €21,197 | €25,522 | 30.1 | 69.8% |
| 86 | Tallinn | €20,349 | €24,504 | 28.9 | 86.1% |
| 87 | Cape Town | R 291,566 | R 517,530 | 28.4 | 80.4% |
| 88 | Warsaw | zł 86,145 | zł 111,205 | 28.4 | 78.5% |
| 89 | Lagos | ₦9,487,952 | ₦43,170,181 | 27.3 | 70.2% |
| 90 | Manila | ₱392,696 | ₱1,503,464 | 26.8 | 89.5% |
| 91 | Ho Chi Minh City | ₫175,000,000 | ₫660,000,000 | 26.4 | 79.6% |
| 92 | Budapest | Ft 6,465,361 | Ft 9,374,774 | 26.1 | 66.5% |
| 93 | Lima | S/33,343 | S/95,584 | 25.8 | 86.0% |
| 94 | Buenos Aires | AR$11,144,578 | AR$28,530,120 | 25.6 | 55.6% |
| 95 | Bali (Denpasar) | Rp 108,057,229 | Rp 390,549,699 | 25.3 | 85.6% |
| 96 | Riga | €16,958 | €21,452 | 25.3 | 69.5% |
| 97 | Phnom Penh | $6,000 | $24,800 | 24.8 | 100.0% |
| 98 | Nairobi | KSh 774,849 | KSh 3,189,797 | 24.7 | 72.1% |
| 99 | Jakarta | Rp 108,057,229 | Rp 378,200,301 | 24.5 | 85.6% |
| 100 | Hanoi | ₫175,000,000 | ₫602,500,000 | 24.1 | 79.6% |
| 101 | Krakow | zł 86,145 | zł 93,193 | 23.8 | 78.5% |
| 102 | Istanbul | ₺480,045 | ₺739,270 | 23.1 | 62.5% |
| 103 | Bogotá | COP 41,566,265 | COP 95,186,747 | 22.9 | 92.0% |
| 104 | Chiang Mai | ฿371,901 | ฿700,413 | 22.6 | 93.6% |
| 105 | Bucharest | lei 67,711 | lei 95,218 | 22.5 | 55.0% |
| 106 | Mumbai | ₹582,455 | ₹1,855,535 | 22.3 | 93.9% |
| 107 | Casablanca | MAD 67,997 | MAD 214,676 | 22.1 | 84.3% |
| 108 | Bangalore | ₹582,455 | ₹1,730,723 | 20.8 | 93.9% |
| 109 | Medellín | COP 41,566,265 | COP 84,795,181 | 20.4 | 92.0% |
| 110 | Delhi | ₹582,455 | ₹1,622,553 | 19.5 | 93.9% |
| 111 | Marrakech | MAD 67,997 | MAD 186,506 | 19.2 | 84.3% |
| 112 | Chennai | ₹582,455 | ₹1,572,628 | 18.9 | 93.9% |
| 113 | Cairo | E£243,976 | E£819,759 | 16.8 | 72.8% |
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 lawyer salary range (New York baseline, USD):
The mid-career lawyer New York baseline is $100,000. 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 lawyer is Zurich at $122,400 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.