San Francisco · United States
Software Engineer Salary in San Francisco
Base salary bands for software engineer roles in San Francisco, adjusted from the national US reference band using a local market multiplier of 132%.
- 25th percentile
- $174k
- Median
- $222k
- 75th percentile
- $283k
- 90th percentile
- $354k
Cost-of-living adjusted
$132k
Equivalent purchasing power at US national average cost of living
Rent burden
18.6%
Median annual rent as a share of median gross pay
Estimated openings
695
Active openings estimate for this role in San Francisco
By level
Software Engineer pay by level in San Francisco
| Level | P25 | Median | P90 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry (L1–L2) | $130k | $156k | $214k |
| Mid (L3) | $174k | $209k | $283k |
| Senior (L4) | $227k | $271k | $380k |
| Staff (L5) | $297k | $354k | $508k |
| Principal (L6+) | $390k | $465k | $713k |
Employers
Companies hiring software engineers in San Francisco
Stripe
Payments infrastructure for internet businesses, from startups to global enterprises.
Figma
Browser-native collaborative design platform and the de facto standard for product teams.
Notion
Connected workspace combining documents, databases, wikis and lightweight project management.
Vercel
Frontend cloud platform built around Next.js, edge delivery and preview-driven workflows.
Linear
Opinionated issue tracking and product planning for software teams that value speed.
Snowflake
Cloud data platform separating storage from compute across every major cloud.
Databricks
Data and AI platform built on the lakehouse architecture and open table formats.
Airtable
Relational database with a spreadsheet interface, used to build internal operational apps.
Cloudflare
Global edge network combining performance, security and developer compute.
Salesforce
The enterprise CRM standard, expanded into a sprawling platform through sustained acquisition.
Atlassian
Software team tooling anchored by Jira and Confluence, sold with minimal sales touch.
Ramp
Corporate cards and spend management built around reducing expenditure rather than rewarding it.
Shopify
Commerce platform powering online storefronts, payments and fulfilment for merchants.
Zapier
Automation platform connecting thousands of SaaS applications without engineering effort.
15 open software engineer roles in San Francisco right now
See live openings →FAQ
Common questions
What is the average Software Engineer salary in San Francisco?
The median software engineer salary in San Francisco is $222k, with a typical range of $174k to $354k depending on level and company.
How far does a Software Engineer salary go in San Francisco?
Adjusted for local cost of living, the median software engineer salary in San Francisco is equivalent to about $132k of US-national purchasing power. Median rent takes up roughly 18.6% of gross pay.
How many Software Engineer openings are there in San Francisco?
We estimate around 695 active software engineer openings in San Francisco at any given time, scaled from the city's overall market size and hiring demand for this role.
Which companies hire Software Engineers in San Francisco?
Stripe, Figma, Notion, Vercel, Linear, among others have hired for this role in San Francisco.