Mid-career New York baseline: $78,000. 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 42,975 | CHF 77,355 | 122.4 | 65.0% |
| 2 | Geneva | CHF 42,975 | CHF 74,954 | 118.6 | 61.0% |
| 3 | New York | $78,000 | $78,000 | 100.0 | 66.4% |
| 4 | San Francisco | $78,000 | $76,128 | 97.6 | 67.4% |
| 5 | Singapore | S$55,886 | S$89,113 | 87.7 | 77.0% |
| 6 | London | £37,590 | £51,393 | 87.5 | 73.9% |
| 7 | Copenhagen | kr 247,568 | kr 424,331 | 85.7 | 62.0% |
| 8 | Amsterdam | €46,295 | €54,628 | 82.6 | 63.0% |
| 9 | Boston | $78,000 | $64,272 | 82.4 | 67.7% |
| 10 | Tel Aviv | ₪145,992 | ₪228,252 | 81.3 | 75.3% |
| 11 | Miami | $78,000 | $62,478 | 80.1 | 76.7% |
| 12 | Washington DC | $78,000 | $62,244 | 79.8 | 68.2% |
| 13 | Seattle | $78,000 | $62,010 | 79.5 | 76.7% |
| 14 | Oslo | kr 430,938 | kr 615,066 | 78.5 | 68.5% |
| 15 | San Diego | $78,000 | $60,450 | 77.5 | 67.4% |
| 16 | Tokyo | ¥4,833,181 | ¥9,340,122 | 77.3 | 74.1% |
| 17 | Los Angeles | $78,000 | $59,514 | 76.3 | 67.4% |
| 18 | Sydney | A$70,933 | A$82,570 | 74.5 | 83.0% |
| 19 | Hong Kong | HK$305,422 | HK$449,581 | 73.6 | 88.6% |
| 20 | Chicago | $78,000 | $57,096 | 73.2 | 71.7% |
| 21 | Dublin | €33,068 | €48,147 | 72.8 | 76.0% |
| 22 | Dubai | AED 146,938 | AED 204,583 | 72.4 | 100.0% |
| 23 | Doha | QAR 142,139 | QAR 197,573 | 69.5 | 100.0% |
| 24 | Seoul | ₩37,630,301 | ₩68,229,678 | 68.9 | 78.9% |
| 25 | Philadelphia | $78,000 | $53,664 | 68.8 | 73.6% |
| 26 | Luxembourg City | €35,713 | €45,237 | 68.4 | 73.2% |
| 27 | Melbourne | A$70,933 | A$75,588 | 68.2 | 83.0% |
| 28 | Abu Dhabi | AED 146,938 | AED 191,585 | 67.8 | 100.0% |
| 29 | Portland | $78,000 | $52,416 | 67.2 | 66.8% |
| 30 | Denver | $78,000 | $51,246 | 65.7 | 72.3% |
| 31 | Vancouver | C$71,812 | C$69,066 | 65.4 | 69.6% |
| 32 | Austin | $78,000 | $50,544 | 64.8 | 76.7% |
| 33 | Tampa | $78,000 | $50,310 | 64.5 | 76.7% |
| 34 | Stockholm | kr 447,366 | kr 456,598 | 64.3 | 61.0% |
| 35 | Perth | A$70,933 | A$70,379 | 63.5 | 83.0% |
| 36 | Atlanta | $78,000 | $49,296 | 63.2 | 71.2% |
| 37 | Nashville | $78,000 | $48,984 | 62.8 | 76.7% |
| 38 | Osaka | ¥4,833,181 | ¥7,588,094 | 62.8 | 74.1% |
| 39 | Dallas | $78,000 | $48,750 | 62.5 | 76.7% |
| 40 | Toronto | C$71,812 | C$65,792 | 62.3 | 68.1% |
| 41 | Edinburgh | £37,590 | £36,474 | 62.1 | 74.7% |
| 42 | Munich | €58,861 | €40,673 | 61.5 | 60.4% |
| 43 | Minneapolis | $78,000 | $47,892 | 61.4 | 68.8% |
| 44 | Auckland | NZ$71,645 | NZ$76,421 | 60.8 | 76.7% |
| 45 | Houston | $78,000 | $46,956 | 60.2 | 76.7% |
| 46 | Charlotte | $78,000 | $46,644 | 59.8 | 72.2% |
| 47 | Phoenix | $78,000 | $45,942 | 58.9 | 74.2% |
| 48 | Raleigh | $78,000 | $45,708 | 58.6 | 72.2% |
| 49 | Helsinki | €29,761 | €38,491 | 58.2 | 78.7% |
| 50 | Las Vegas | $78,000 | $45,396 | 58.2 | 76.7% |
| 51 | Milan | €21,163 | €38,226 | 57.8 | 67.2% |
| 52 | Nice | €41,665 | €34,853 | 52.7 | 64.1% |
| 53 | Montreal | C$71,812 | C$55,020 | 52.1 | 62.3% |
| 54 | Fukuoka | ¥4,833,181 | ¥6,210,637 | 51.4 | 74.1% |
| 55 | Berlin | €58,861 | €33,861 | 51.2 | 60.4% |
| 56 | Brussels | €29,100 | €33,266 | 50.3 | 74.8% |
| 57 | Rome | €21,163 | €32,605 | 49.3 | 67.2% |
| 58 | Vienna | €30,422 | €31,877 | 48.2 | 67.5% |
| 59 | Paris | €41,665 | €31,018 | 46.9 | 64.1% |
| 60 | Shanghai | ¥115,520 | ¥242,592 | 46.2 | 69.7% |
| 61 | Taipei | NT$789,398 | NT$1,105,157 | 44.8 | 87.8% |
| 62 | Beijing | ¥115,520 | ¥228,414 | 43.5 | 69.7% |
| 63 | Riyadh | SAR 128,700 | SAR 124,605 | 42.6 | 90.2% |
| 64 | Panama City | $14,040 | $32,994 | 42.3 | 87.0% |
| 65 | Barcelona | €21,163 | €27,843 | 42.1 | 72.3% |
| 66 | Shenzhen | ¥115,520 | ¥220,013 | 41.9 | 69.7% |
| 67 | São Paulo | R$62,964 | R$164,493 | 41.8 | 75.3% |
| 68 | Guangzhou | ¥115,520 | ¥203,210 | 38.7 | 69.7% |
| 69 | Madrid | €21,163 | €25,132 | 38.0 | 72.3% |
| 70 | Bangkok | ฿314,256 | ฿899,256 | 37.2 | 94.3% |
| 71 | Cancún | MX$185,015 | MX$473,110 | 35.8 | 86.7% |
| 72 | Lisbon | €18,518 | €22,949 | 34.7 | 70.8% |
| 73 | Valencia | €21,163 | €22,155 | 33.5 | 72.3% |
| 74 | Santiago | CLP 11,700,000 | CLP 24,277,500 | 33.2 | 79.5% |
| 75 | Kuala Lumpur | RM 57,090 | RM 104,031 | 32.8 | 85.0% |
| 76 | Mexico City | MX$185,015 | MX$429,499 | 32.5 | 86.7% |
| 77 | Montevideo | $U 458,837 | $U 1,065,158 | 32.5 | 81.9% |
| 78 | Split | €14,550 | €21,031 | 31.8 | 60.0% |
| 79 | Málaga | €21,163 | €20,634 | 31.2 | 72.3% |
| 80 | San José (CR) | ₡6,315,181 | ₡12,314,602 | 31.2 | 89.3% |
| 81 | Playa del Carmen | MX$185,015 | MX$407,033 | 30.8 | 86.7% |
| 82 | Athens | €16,534 | €20,237 | 30.6 | 72.0% |
| 83 | Prague | Kč 467,295 | Kč 549,970 | 30.6 | 74.0% |
| 84 | Phuket | ฿314,256 | ฿737,293 | 30.5 | 94.3% |
| 85 | Porto | €18,518 | €19,907 | 30.1 | 70.8% |
| 86 | Tallinn | €17,195 | €19,113 | 28.9 | 87.5% |
| 87 | Cape Town | R 255,849 | R 403,673 | 28.4 | 81.3% |
| 88 | Warsaw | zł 73,301 | zł 86,740 | 28.4 | 79.2% |
| 89 | Lagos | ₦8,634,036 | ₦33,672,741 | 27.3 | 70.4% |
| 90 | Manila | ₱350,060 | ₱1,172,702 | 26.8 | 90.7% |
| 91 | Ho Chi Minh City | ₫175,500,000 | ₫514,800,000 | 26.4 | 79.6% |
| 92 | Budapest | Ft 5,603,313 | Ft 7,312,324 | 26.1 | 66.5% |
| 93 | Lima | S/28,898 | S/74,556 | 25.8 | 87.0% |
| 94 | Buenos Aires | AR$10,431,325 | AR$22,253,494 | 25.6 | 56.2% |
| 95 | Bali (Denpasar) | Rp 108,365,964 | Rp 304,628,765 | 25.3 | 85.5% |
| 96 | Riga | €14,550 | €16,732 | 25.3 | 69.5% |
| 97 | Phnom Penh | $5,460 | $19,344 | 24.8 | 100.0% |
| 98 | Nairobi | KSh 705,113 | KSh 2,488,041 | 24.7 | 72.9% |
| 99 | Jakarta | Rp 108,365,964 | Rp 294,996,235 | 24.5 | 85.5% |
| 100 | Hanoi | ₫175,500,000 | ₫469,950,000 | 24.1 | 79.6% |
| 101 | Krakow | zł 73,301 | zł 72,690 | 23.8 | 79.2% |
| 102 | Istanbul | ₺399,398 | ₺576,630 | 23.1 | 63.4% |
| 103 | Bogotá | COP 35,663,855 | COP 74,245,663 | 22.9 | 92.0% |
| 104 | Chiang Mai | ฿314,256 | ฿546,322 | 22.6 | 94.3% |
| 105 | Bucharest | lei 59,416 | lei 74,270 | 22.5 | 55.0% |
| 106 | Mumbai | ₹713,923 | ₹1,447,317 | 22.3 | 94.0% |
| 107 | Casablanca | MAD 60,614 | MAD 167,447 | 22.1 | 86.8% |
| 108 | Bangalore | ₹713,923 | ₹1,349,964 | 20.8 | 94.0% |
| 109 | Medellín | COP 35,663,855 | COP 66,140,241 | 20.4 | 92.0% |
| 110 | Delhi | ₹713,923 | ₹1,265,591 | 19.5 | 94.0% |
| 111 | Marrakech | MAD 60,614 | MAD 145,475 | 19.2 | 86.8% |
| 112 | Chennai | ₹713,923 | ₹1,226,650 | 18.9 | 94.0% |
| 113 | Cairo | E£266,422 | E£639,412 | 16.8 | 72.2% |
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 mechanical engineer salary range (New York baseline, USD):
The mid-career mechanical engineer New York baseline is $78,000. 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 mechanical engineer is Zurich at $95,472 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.