Professor Salary by City (2026)

Mid-career base salary: $95,000 in New York. See what it’s worth in 182 cities after adjusting for cost of living and taxes.

Highest Adjusted
Zurich
$116,280
Median City
Rome
$46,835
Best Value
Dubai
$68,780

Professor Salary — All 113 Cities

#CitySalary (Local)Salary (USD)COLITake-Home %
1ZurichCHF 94,215$116,280122.4-3870.0%
2GenevaCHF 91,290$112,670118.6-4250.0%
3New York$95,000$95,000100.0-3370.0%
4San Francisco$92,720$92,72097.6-3260.0%
5SingaporeS$108,535$83,31587.7-2390.0%
6London£62,594$83,12587.5-2860.0%
7Copenhagenkr 516,814$81,41585.7-4070.0%
8Amsterdam€66,534$78,47082.6-3600.0%
9Boston$78,280$78,28082.4-3130.0%
10Tel Aviv₪277,999$77,23581.3-3060.0%
11Miami$76,095$76,09580.1-2210.0%
12Washington DC$75,810$75,81079.8-3060.0%
13Seattle$75,525$75,52579.5-2210.0%
14Oslokr 749,119$74,57578.5-3280.0%
15San Diego$73,625$73,62577.5-3120.0%
16Tokyo¥11,375,789$73,43577.3-3320.0%
17Los Angeles$72,485$72,48576.3-3110.0%
18SydneyA$100,567$70,77574.5-1980.0%
19Hong KongHK$547,566$69,92073.6-1290.0%
20Chicago$69,540$69,54073.2-2650.0%
21Dublin€58,640$69,16072.8-2870.0%
22DubaiAED 249,172$68,78072.4100.0%
23DohaQAR 240,633$66,02569.5100.0%
24Seoul₩83,100,248$65,45568.9-2550.0%
25Philadelphia$65,360$65,36068.8-2420.0%
26Luxembourg City€55,096$64,98068.4-3210.0%
27MelbourneA$92,062$64,79068.2-1900.0%
28Abu DhabiAED 233,341$64,41067.8100.0%
29Portland$63,840$63,84067.2-3080.0%
30Denver$62,415$62,41565.7-2510.0%
31VancouverC$84,119$62,13065.4-2910.0%
32Austin$61,560$61,56064.8-2060.0%
33Tampa$61,275$61,27564.5-2060.0%
34Stockholmkr 556,113$61,08564.3-3800.0%
35PerthA$85,718$60,32563.5-1830.0%
36Atlanta$60,040$60,04063.2-2590.0%
37Nashville$59,660$59,66062.8-2040.0%
38Osaka¥9,241,909$59,66062.8-3010.0%
39Dallas$59,375$59,37562.5-2030.0%
40TorontoC$80,131$59,18562.3-3060.0%
41Edinburgh£44,424$58,99562.1-2470.0%
42Munich€49,538$58,42561.5-3740.0%
43Minneapolis$58,330$58,33061.4-2800.0%
44AucklandNZ$93,077$57,76060.8-2520.0%
45Houston$57,190$57,19060.2-2000.0%
46Charlotte$56,810$56,81059.8-2440.0%
47Phoenix$55,955$55,95558.9-2230.0%
48Raleigh$55,670$55,67058.6-2430.0%
49Helsinki€46,880$55,29058.2-3000.0%
50Las Vegas$55,290$55,29058.2-1970.0%
51Milan€46,558$54,91057.8-3650.0%
52Nice€42,450$50,06552.7-3520.0%
53MontrealC$67,012$49,49552.1-3670.0%
54Fukuoka¥7,564,238$48,83051.4-2830.0%
55Berlin€41,241$48,64051.2-3600.0%
56Brussels€40,516$47,78550.3-3210.0%
57Rome€39,711$46,83549.3-3540.0%
58Vienna€38,825$45,79048.2-3580.0%
59Paris€37,778$44,55546.9-3320.0%
60Shanghai¥295,464$43,89046.2-3580.0%
61TaipeiNT$1,346,024$42,56044.8-1380.0%
62Beijing¥278,197$41,32543.5-3540.0%
63RiyadhSAR 151,762$40,47042.6-880.0%
64Panama City$40,185$40,18542.3-1960.0%
65Barcelona€33,911$39,99542.1-2990.0%
66Shenzhen¥267,964$39,80541.9-3520.0%
67São PauloR$200,344$39,71041.8-2860.0%
68Guangzhou¥247,499$36,76538.7-3470.0%
69Madrid€30,609$36,10038.0-2940.0%
70Bangkok฿1,095,247$35,34037.2-1250.0%
71CancúnMX$576,224$34,01035.8-2040.0%
72Lisbon€27,951$32,96534.7-3260.0%
73Valencia€26,984$31,82533.5-2860.0%
74SantiagoCLP 29,568,750$31,54033.2-2270.0%
75Kuala LumpurRM 126,705$31,16032.8-2270.0%
76Mexico CityMX$523,108$30,87532.5-1990.0%
77Montevideo$U 1,297,308$30,87532.5-2790.0%
78Split€25,615$30,21031.8-3900.0%
79Málaga€25,132$29,64031.2-2810.0%
80San José (CR)₡14,998,554$29,64031.2-1220.0%
81Playa del CarmenMX$495,745$29,26030.8-1960.0%
82Athens€24,648$29,07030.6-3070.0%
83PragueKč 669,836$29,07030.6-2500.0%
84Phuket฿897,985$28,97530.5-1050.0%
85Porto€24,245$28,59530.1-3090.0%
86Tallinn€23,279$27,45528.9-1390.0%
87Cape TownR 491,654$26,98028.4-2240.0%
88Warsawzł 105,645$26,98028.4-2130.0%
89Lagos₦41,011,672$25,93527.3-3050.0%
90Manila₱1,428,291$25,46026.8-2220.0%
91Ho Chi Minh City₫627,000,000$25,08026.4-2830.0%
92BudapestFt 8,906,035$24,79526.1-3250.0%
93LimaS/90,805$24,51025.8-2020.0%
94Buenos AiresAR$27,103,614$24,32025.6-4790.0%
95Bali (Denpasar)Rp 371,022,214$24,03525.3-2060.0%
96Riga€20,379$24,03525.3-2960.0%
97Phnom Penh$23,560$23,56024.8100.0%
98NairobiKSh 3,030,307$23,46524.7-3290.0%
99JakartaRp 359,290,286$23,27524.5-2040.0%
100Hanoi₫572,375,000$22,89524.1-2770.0%
101Krakowzł 88,533$22,61023.8-2060.0%
102Istanbul₺702,306$21,94523.1-3930.0%
103BogotáCOP 90,427,410$21,75522.9-1810.0%
104Chiang Mai฿665,392$21,47022.6-820.0%
105Bucharestlei 90,457$21,37522.5-4400.0%
106Mumbai₹1,762,758$21,18522.3-1260.0%
107CasablancaMAD 203,942$20,99522.1-3130.0%
108Bangalore₹1,644,187$19,76020.8-1150.0%
109MedellínCOP 80,555,422$19,38020.4-1600.0%
110Delhi₹1,541,425$18,52519.5-1030.0%
111MarrakechMAD 177,181$18,24019.2-2960.0%
112Chennai₹1,493,997$17,95518.9-970.0%
113CairoE£778,771$15,96016.8-3180.0%

Data covers 182 cities worldwide. Salaries adjusted by Cost of Living Index (New York = 100). Updated 2026.

Sponsored

Planning a move abroad?

Send money internationally at the real exchange rate. Save up to 6x vs traditional banks.

Try Wise for Free →

Salary Range

Typical professor salary range (New York baseline, USD):

Entry Level
$50,000
Mid-Career
$95,000
Senior
$180,000

Related Salaries

Explore More

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the average professor salary in 2026?

The mid-career professor base salary is $95,000 (New York baseline). Entry-level starts around $50,000 and senior roles can reach $180,000. These figures are adjusted for each city using local cost of living.

Which city pays professors the most?

After adjusting for cost of living, Zurich offers the highest professor salary at $116,280 (USD equivalent). See the full table above for all 182 cities.

How is the salary adjusted for each city?

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.

Data Sources & Methodology

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.