Mid-career New York baseline: $48,000. 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 28,002 | CHF 47,603 | 122.4 | 66.8% |
| 2 | Geneva | CHF 28,002 | CHF 46,125 | 118.6 | 62.8% |
| 3 | New York | $48,000 | $48,000 | 100.0 | 70.4% |
| 4 | San Francisco | $48,000 | $46,848 | 97.6 | 71.4% |
| 5 | Singapore | S$34,392 | S$54,839 | 87.7 | 79.0% |
| 6 | London | £38,313 | £31,627 | 87.5 | 73.9% |
| 7 | Copenhagen | kr 167,584 | kr 261,127 | 85.7 | 65.3% |
| 8 | Amsterdam | €35,001 | €33,617 | 82.6 | 63.0% |
| 9 | Boston | $48,000 | $39,552 | 82.4 | 71.7% |
| 10 | Tel Aviv | ₪82,930 | ₪140,463 | 81.3 | 78.0% |
| 11 | Miami | $48,000 | $38,448 | 80.1 | 80.7% |
| 12 | Washington DC | $48,000 | $38,304 | 79.8 | 72.2% |
| 13 | Seattle | $48,000 | $38,160 | 79.5 | 80.7% |
| 14 | Oslo | kr 279,658 | kr 378,502 | 78.5 | 69.7% |
| 15 | San Diego | $48,000 | $37,200 | 77.5 | 71.4% |
| 16 | Tokyo | ¥3,346,048 | ¥5,747,767 | 77.3 | 78.0% |
| 17 | Los Angeles | $48,000 | $36,624 | 76.3 | 71.4% |
| 18 | Sydney | A$70,933 | A$50,813 | 74.5 | 83.0% |
| 19 | Hong Kong | HK$169,157 | HK$276,665 | 73.6 | 92.6% |
| 20 | Chicago | $48,000 | $35,136 | 73.2 | 75.7% |
| 21 | Dublin | €20,349 | €29,629 | 72.8 | 76.0% |
| 22 | Dubai | AED 73,034 | AED 125,897 | 72.4 | 100.0% |
| 23 | Doha | QAR 69,976 | QAR 121,583 | 69.5 | 100.0% |
| 24 | Seoul | ₩27,422,892 | ₩41,987,494 | 68.9 | 80.2% |
| 25 | Philadelphia | $48,000 | $33,024 | 68.8 | 77.6% |
| 26 | Luxembourg City | €23,605 | €27,838 | 68.4 | 80.2% |
| 27 | Melbourne | A$70,933 | A$46,516 | 68.2 | 83.0% |
| 28 | Abu Dhabi | AED 73,034 | AED 117,898 | 67.8 | 100.0% |
| 29 | Portland | $48,000 | $32,256 | 67.2 | 70.8% |
| 30 | Denver | $48,000 | $31,536 | 65.7 | 76.3% |
| 31 | Vancouver | C$67,587 | C$42,502 | 65.4 | 69.5% |
| 32 | Austin | $48,000 | $31,104 | 64.8 | 80.7% |
| 33 | Tampa | $48,000 | $30,960 | 64.5 | 80.7% |
| 34 | Stockholm | kr 327,741 | kr 280,983 | 64.3 | 61.0% |
| 35 | Perth | A$70,933 | A$43,310 | 63.5 | 83.0% |
| 36 | Atlanta | $48,000 | $30,336 | 63.2 | 75.2% |
| 37 | Nashville | $48,000 | $30,144 | 62.8 | 80.7% |
| 38 | Osaka | ¥3,346,048 | ¥4,669,596 | 62.8 | 78.0% |
| 39 | Dallas | $48,000 | $30,000 | 62.5 | 80.7% |
| 40 | Toronto | C$67,587 | C$40,487 | 62.3 | 68.1% |
| 41 | Edinburgh | £38,313 | £22,446 | 62.1 | 74.6% |
| 42 | Munich | €45,990 | €25,030 | 61.5 | 62.1% |
| 43 | Minneapolis | $48,000 | $29,472 | 61.4 | 72.8% |
| 44 | Auckland | NZ$58,786 | NZ$47,028 | 60.8 | 78.9% |
| 45 | Houston | $48,000 | $28,896 | 60.2 | 80.7% |
| 46 | Charlotte | $48,000 | $28,704 | 59.8 | 76.2% |
| 47 | Phoenix | $48,000 | $28,272 | 58.9 | 78.2% |
| 48 | Raleigh | $48,000 | $28,128 | 58.6 | 76.2% |
| 49 | Helsinki | €19,535 | €23,687 | 58.2 | 89.5% |
| 50 | Las Vegas | $48,000 | $27,936 | 58.2 | 80.7% |
| 51 | Milan | €13,024 | €23,524 | 57.8 | 67.8% |
| 52 | Nice | €28,082 | €21,448 | 52.7 | 71.4% |
| 53 | Montreal | C$67,587 | C$33,859 | 52.1 | 62.2% |
| 54 | Fukuoka | ¥3,346,048 | ¥3,821,931 | 51.4 | 78.0% |
| 55 | Berlin | €45,990 | €20,838 | 51.2 | 62.1% |
| 56 | Brussels | €19,535 | €20,471 | 50.3 | 81.4% |
| 57 | Rome | €13,024 | €20,065 | 49.3 | 67.8% |
| 58 | Vienna | €21,163 | €19,617 | 48.2 | 74.0% |
| 59 | Paris | €28,082 | €19,088 | 46.9 | 71.4% |
| 60 | Shanghai | ¥51,701 | ¥149,287 | 46.2 | 72.4% |
| 61 | Taipei | NT$485,783 | NT$680,096 | 44.8 | 89.8% |
| 62 | Beijing | ¥51,701 | ¥140,563 | 43.5 | 72.4% |
| 63 | Riyadh | SAR 64,800 | SAR 76,680 | 42.6 | 90.2% |
| 64 | Panama City | $6,720 | $20,304 | 42.3 | 90.2% |
| 65 | Barcelona | €13,024 | €17,134 | 42.1 | 74.4% |
| 66 | Shenzhen | ¥51,701 | ¥135,393 | 41.9 | 72.4% |
| 67 | São Paulo | R$33,904 | R$101,227 | 41.8 | 83.9% |
| 68 | Guangzhou | ¥51,701 | ¥125,052 | 38.7 | 72.4% |
| 69 | Madrid | €13,024 | €15,466 | 38.0 | 74.4% |
| 70 | Bangkok | ฿178,512 | ฿553,388 | 37.2 | 94.2% |
| 71 | Cancún | MX$97,590 | MX$291,145 | 35.8 | 90.2% |
| 72 | Lisbon | €11,396 | €14,122 | 34.7 | 74.2% |
| 73 | Valencia | €13,024 | €13,634 | 33.5 | 74.4% |
| 74 | Santiago | CLP 5,850,000 | CLP 14,940,000 | 33.2 | 80.5% |
| 75 | Kuala Lumpur | RM 31,229 | RM 64,019 | 32.8 | 87.4% |
| 76 | Mexico City | MX$97,590 | MX$264,307 | 32.5 | 90.2% |
| 77 | Montevideo | $U 262,193 | $U 655,482 | 32.5 | 81.9% |
| 78 | Split | €8,140 | €12,942 | 31.8 | 60.0% |
| 79 | Málaga | €13,024 | €12,698 | 31.2 | 74.4% |
| 80 | San José (CR) | ₡3,400,482 | ₡7,578,217 | 31.2 | 89.3% |
| 81 | Playa del Carmen | MX$97,590 | MX$250,482 | 30.8 | 90.2% |
| 82 | Athens | €9,768 | €12,454 | 30.6 | 77.1% |
| 83 | Prague | Kč 287,566 | Kč 338,443 | 30.6 | 74.0% |
| 84 | Phuket | ฿178,512 | ฿453,719 | 30.5 | 94.2% |
| 85 | Porto | €11,396 | €12,250 | 30.1 | 74.2% |
| 86 | Tallinn | €10,582 | €11,762 | 28.9 | 93.2% |
| 87 | Cape Town | R 122,458 | R 248,414 | 28.4 | 81.9% |
| 88 | Warsaw | zł 45,108 | zł 53,378 | 28.4 | 82.3% |
| 89 | Lagos | ₦4,554,217 | ₦20,721,687 | 27.3 | 72.6% |
| 90 | Manila | ₱188,494 | ₱721,663 | 26.8 | 95.0% |
| 91 | Ho Chi Minh City | ₫84,000,000 | ₫316,800,000 | 26.4 | 83.1% |
| 92 | Budapest | Ft 3,448,193 | Ft 4,499,892 | 26.1 | 66.5% |
| 93 | Lima | S/14,227 | S/45,880 | 25.8 | 87.0% |
| 94 | Buenos Aires | AR$5,349,398 | AR$13,694,458 | 25.6 | 62.9% |
| 95 | Bali (Denpasar) | Rp 51,867,470 | Rp 187,463,855 | 25.3 | 90.0% |
| 96 | Riga | €8,140 | €10,297 | 25.3 | 69.5% |
| 97 | Phnom Penh | $2,880 | $11,904 | 24.8 | 100.0% |
| 98 | Nairobi | KSh 371,928 | KSh 1,531,102 | 24.7 | 80.6% |
| 99 | Jakarta | Rp 51,867,470 | Rp 181,536,145 | 24.5 | 90.0% |
| 100 | Hanoi | ₫84,000,000 | ₫289,200,000 | 24.1 | 83.1% |
| 101 | Krakow | zł 45,108 | zł 44,733 | 23.8 | 82.3% |
| 102 | Istanbul | ₺230,422 | ₺354,849 | 23.1 | 67.4% |
| 103 | Bogotá | COP 17,956,627 | COP 45,689,639 | 22.9 | 92.0% |
| 104 | Chiang Mai | ฿178,512 | ฿336,198 | 22.6 | 94.2% |
| 105 | Bucharest | lei 32,501 | lei 45,705 | 22.5 | 55.0% |
| 106 | Mumbai | ₹319,518 | ₹890,657 | 22.3 | 92.9% |
| 107 | Casablanca | MAD 32,639 | MAD 103,045 | 22.1 | 92.9% |
| 108 | Bangalore | ₹319,518 | ₹830,747 | 20.8 | 92.9% |
| 109 | Medellín | COP 17,956,627 | COP 40,701,687 | 20.4 | 92.0% |
| 110 | Delhi | ₹319,518 | ₹778,825 | 19.5 | 92.9% |
| 111 | Marrakech | MAD 32,639 | MAD 89,523 | 19.2 | 92.9% |
| 112 | Chennai | ₹319,518 | ₹754,861 | 18.9 | 92.9% |
| 113 | Cairo | E£117,108 | E£393,484 | 16.8 | 77.8% |
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 teacher salary range (New York baseline, USD):
The mid-career teacher New York baseline is $48,000. 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 teacher is Zurich at $58,752 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.