Mid-career New York baseline: $85,000. 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 49,587 | CHF 84,297 | 122.4 | 64.5% |
| 2 | Geneva | CHF 49,587 | CHF 81,680 | 118.6 | 60.5% |
| 3 | New York | $85,000 | $85,000 | 100.0 | 65.9% |
| 4 | San Francisco | $85,000 | $82,960 | 97.6 | 66.9% |
| 5 | Singapore | S$60,902 | S$97,111 | 87.7 | 76.7% |
| 6 | London | £67,846 | £56,005 | 87.5 | 69.4% |
| 7 | Copenhagen | kr 296,764 | kr 462,412 | 85.7 | 60.8% |
| 8 | Amsterdam | €61,981 | €59,530 | 82.6 | 63.0% |
| 9 | Boston | $85,000 | $70,040 | 82.4 | 67.2% |
| 10 | Tel Aviv | ₪146,855 | ₪248,736 | 81.3 | 75.2% |
| 11 | Miami | $85,000 | $68,085 | 80.1 | 76.2% |
| 12 | Washington DC | $85,000 | $67,830 | 79.8 | 67.7% |
| 13 | Seattle | $85,000 | $67,575 | 79.5 | 76.2% |
| 14 | Oslo | kr 495,227 | kr 670,265 | 78.5 | 68.2% |
| 15 | San Diego | $85,000 | $65,875 | 77.5 | 66.9% |
| 16 | Tokyo | ¥5,925,294 | ¥10,178,338 | 77.3 | 72.5% |
| 17 | Los Angeles | $85,000 | $64,855 | 76.3 | 66.9% |
| 18 | Sydney | A$125,611 | A$89,981 | 74.5 | 77.3% |
| 19 | Hong Kong | HK$299,548 | HK$489,928 | 73.6 | 88.7% |
| 20 | Chicago | $85,000 | $62,220 | 73.2 | 71.2% |
| 21 | Dublin | €36,035 | €52,468 | 72.8 | 76.0% |
| 22 | Dubai | AED 129,332 | AED 222,943 | 72.4 | 100.0% |
| 23 | Doha | QAR 123,916 | QAR 215,303 | 69.5 | 100.0% |
| 24 | Seoul | ₩48,561,370 | ₩74,352,854 | 68.9 | 78.2% |
| 25 | Philadelphia | $85,000 | $58,480 | 68.8 | 73.1% |
| 26 | Luxembourg City | €41,801 | €49,296 | 68.4 | 70.9% |
| 27 | Melbourne | A$125,611 | A$82,372 | 68.2 | 77.3% |
| 28 | Abu Dhabi | AED 129,332 | AED 208,779 | 67.8 | 100.0% |
| 29 | Portland | $85,000 | $57,120 | 67.2 | 66.3% |
| 30 | Denver | $85,000 | $55,845 | 65.7 | 71.8% |
| 31 | Vancouver | C$119,686 | C$75,264 | 65.4 | 70.1% |
| 32 | Austin | $85,000 | $55,080 | 64.8 | 76.2% |
| 33 | Tampa | $85,000 | $54,825 | 64.5 | 76.2% |
| 34 | Stockholm | kr 580,375 | kr 497,575 | 64.3 | 61.0% |
| 35 | Perth | A$125,611 | A$76,695 | 63.5 | 77.3% |
| 36 | Atlanta | $85,000 | $53,720 | 63.2 | 70.7% |
| 37 | Nashville | $85,000 | $53,380 | 62.8 | 76.2% |
| 38 | Osaka | ¥5,925,294 | ¥8,269,077 | 62.8 | 72.5% |
| 39 | Dallas | $85,000 | $53,125 | 62.5 | 76.2% |
| 40 | Toronto | C$119,686 | C$71,697 | 62.3 | 68.7% |
| 41 | Edinburgh | £67,846 | £39,748 | 62.1 | 69.9% |
| 42 | Munich | €81,440 | €44,324 | 61.5 | 55.4% |
| 43 | Minneapolis | $85,000 | $52,190 | 61.4 | 68.3% |
| 44 | Auckland | NZ$104,099 | NZ$83,280 | 60.8 | 72.7% |
| 45 | Houston | $85,000 | $51,170 | 60.2 | 76.2% |
| 46 | Charlotte | $85,000 | $50,830 | 59.8 | 71.7% |
| 47 | Phoenix | $85,000 | $50,065 | 58.9 | 73.7% |
| 48 | Raleigh | $85,000 | $49,810 | 58.6 | 71.7% |
| 49 | Helsinki | €34,594 | €41,945 | 58.2 | 75.0% |
| 50 | Las Vegas | $85,000 | $49,470 | 58.2 | 76.2% |
| 51 | Milan | €23,063 | €41,657 | 57.8 | 67.1% |
| 52 | Nice | €49,729 | €37,981 | 52.7 | 61.5% |
| 53 | Montreal | C$119,686 | C$59,958 | 52.1 | 62.8% |
| 54 | Fukuoka | ¥5,925,294 | ¥6,768,002 | 51.4 | 72.5% |
| 55 | Berlin | €81,440 | €36,900 | 51.2 | 55.4% |
| 56 | Brussels | €34,594 | €36,252 | 50.3 | 70.4% |
| 57 | Rome | €23,063 | €35,531 | 49.3 | 67.1% |
| 58 | Vienna | €37,477 | €34,738 | 48.2 | 63.9% |
| 59 | Paris | €49,729 | €33,801 | 46.9 | 61.5% |
| 60 | Shanghai | ¥91,554 | ¥264,363 | 46.2 | 70.3% |
| 61 | Taipei | NT$860,241 | NT$1,204,337 | 44.8 | 87.4% |
| 62 | Beijing | ¥91,554 | ¥248,913 | 43.5 | 70.3% |
| 63 | Riyadh | SAR 114,750 | SAR 135,788 | 42.6 | 90.2% |
| 64 | Panama City | $11,900 | $35,955 | 42.3 | 89.1% |
| 65 | Barcelona | €23,063 | €30,342 | 42.1 | 71.6% |
| 66 | Shenzhen | ¥91,554 | ¥239,758 | 41.9 | 70.3% |
| 67 | São Paulo | R$60,038 | R$179,255 | 41.8 | 76.1% |
| 68 | Guangzhou | ¥91,554 | ¥221,447 | 38.7 | 70.3% |
| 69 | Madrid | €23,063 | €27,387 | 38.0 | 71.6% |
| 70 | Bangkok | ฿316,116 | ฿979,958 | 37.2 | 94.3% |
| 71 | Cancún | MX$172,816 | MX$515,569 | 35.8 | 87.2% |
| 72 | Lisbon | €20,180 | €25,009 | 34.7 | 70.1% |
| 73 | Valencia | €23,063 | €24,144 | 33.5 | 71.6% |
| 74 | Santiago | CLP 10,359,375 | CLP 26,456,250 | 33.2 | 79.9% |
| 75 | Kuala Lumpur | RM 55,301 | RM 113,367 | 32.8 | 85.2% |
| 76 | Mexico City | MX$172,816 | MX$468,044 | 32.5 | 87.2% |
| 77 | Montevideo | $U 464,300 | $U 1,160,749 | 32.5 | 81.9% |
| 78 | Split | €14,414 | €22,919 | 31.8 | 60.0% |
| 79 | Málaga | €23,063 | €22,486 | 31.2 | 71.6% |
| 80 | San José (CR) | ₡6,021,687 | ₡13,419,759 | 31.2 | 89.3% |
| 81 | Playa del Carmen | MX$172,816 | MX$443,562 | 30.8 | 87.2% |
| 82 | Athens | €17,297 | €22,054 | 30.6 | 71.6% |
| 83 | Prague | Kč 509,232 | Kč 599,327 | 30.6 | 74.0% |
| 84 | Phuket | ฿316,116 | ฿803,460 | 30.5 | 94.3% |
| 85 | Porto | €20,180 | €21,693 | 30.1 | 70.1% |
| 86 | Tallinn | €18,738 | €20,828 | 28.9 | 86.8% |
| 87 | Cape Town | R 216,852 | R 439,901 | 28.4 | 81.9% |
| 88 | Warsaw | zł 79,880 | zł 94,524 | 28.4 | 78.8% |
| 89 | Lagos | ₦8,064,759 | ₦36,694,654 | 27.3 | 70.6% |
| 90 | Manila | ₱333,791 | ₱1,277,944 | 26.8 | 91.2% |
| 91 | Ho Chi Minh City | ₫148,750,000 | ₫561,000,000 | 26.4 | 80.6% |
| 92 | Budapest | Ft 6,106,175 | Ft 7,968,558 | 26.1 | 66.5% |
| 93 | Lima | S/25,193 | S/81,247 | 25.8 | 87.0% |
| 94 | Buenos Aires | AR$9,472,892 | AR$24,250,602 | 25.6 | 57.0% |
| 95 | Bali (Denpasar) | Rp 91,848,645 | Rp 331,967,244 | 25.3 | 86.5% |
| 96 | Riga | €14,414 | €18,234 | 25.3 | 69.5% |
| 97 | Phnom Penh | $5,100 | $21,080 | 24.8 | 100.0% |
| 98 | Nairobi | KSh 658,622 | KSh 2,711,327 | 24.7 | 73.5% |
| 99 | Jakarta | Rp 91,848,645 | Rp 321,470,256 | 24.5 | 86.5% |
| 100 | Hanoi | ₫148,750,000 | ₫512,125,000 | 24.1 | 80.6% |
| 101 | Krakow | zł 79,880 | zł 79,214 | 23.8 | 78.8% |
| 102 | Istanbul | ₺408,038 | ₺628,379 | 23.1 | 63.3% |
| 103 | Bogotá | COP 31,798,193 | COP 80,908,735 | 22.9 | 92.0% |
| 104 | Chiang Mai | ฿316,116 | ฿595,351 | 22.6 | 94.3% |
| 105 | Bucharest | lei 57,554 | lei 80,936 | 22.5 | 55.0% |
| 106 | Mumbai | ₹565,813 | ₹1,577,204 | 22.3 | 93.8% |
| 107 | Casablanca | MAD 57,797 | MAD 182,475 | 22.1 | 87.6% |
| 108 | Bangalore | ₹565,813 | ₹1,471,114 | 20.8 | 93.8% |
| 109 | Medellín | COP 31,798,193 | COP 72,075,904 | 20.4 | 92.0% |
| 110 | Delhi | ₹565,813 | ₹1,379,170 | 19.5 | 93.8% |
| 111 | Marrakech | MAD 57,797 | MAD 158,530 | 19.2 | 87.6% |
| 112 | Chennai | ₹565,813 | ₹1,336,734 | 18.9 | 93.8% |
| 113 | Cairo | E£207,380 | E£696,795 | 16.8 | 73.9% |
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 research scientist salary range (New York baseline, USD):
The mid-career research scientist New York baseline is $85,000. 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 research scientist is Zurich at $104,040 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.