Backend engineer salary
Percentile salary data for backend engineer roles in Stockholm, SE, by seniority. Senior-level figures include total compensation where regionally applicable. Figures are shown in USD by default, with the local SEK amount alongside; use the currency switcher to change the display.
Stockholm carries a cost-of-living index of 72 on the Numbeo and Mercer blended scale where New York City equals 100, a moderate cost of living that is below New York City. The figures below are nominal pay in SEK; read them alongside that index when comparing Stockholm with other markets.
Median pay by seniority
Junior
$40,326 (local: SEK 429,000)
Base p50
Mid
$62,134 (local: SEK 661,000)
Base p50
Senior
$90,052 (local: SEK 958,000)
Base p50
Staff
$222,780 (local: SEK 2,370,000)
Total comp p50
Distribution
10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile by seniority, shown in the local currency (SEK). The detailed table below defaults to USD.
Salary percentiles by seniority, in SEK. Junior: 10th percentile SEK 279,000, 25th SEK 352,000, median SEK 429,000, 75th SEK 537,000, 90th percentile SEK 666,000. Mid: 10th percentile SEK 429,000, 25th SEK 542,000, median SEK 661,000, 75th SEK 826,000, 90th percentile SEK 1,024,000. Senior: 10th percentile SEK 623,000, 25th SEK 785,000, median SEK 958,000, 75th SEK 1,197,000, 90th percentile SEK 1,485,000. Staff: 10th percentile SEK 1,706,000, 25th SEK 2,038,000, median SEK 2,370,000, 75th SEK 3,200,000, 90th percentile SEK 4,266,000.
| Seniority | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Comp | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| junior | $26,226 | $33,088 | $40,326 | $50,478 | $62,604 | Base | 300 |
| mid | $40,326 | $50,948 | $62,134 | $77,644 | $96,256 | Base | 440 |
| senior | $58,562 | $73,790 | $90,052 | $112,518 | $139,590 | Base | 200 |
| staff | $160,364 | $191,572 | $222,780 | $300,800 | $401,004 | Total comp | Not reported |
Source: Eurostat earnings 2025 + US BLS OES May 2024 (SOC 15-1252) + Levels.fyi 2025 (2025) https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table, cost-of-living index 72 (NYC=100)
Each step compares the median (50th percentile) of one tier with the next, using the figures in the table above for backend engineer roles in Stockholm.
Take-home
Headline salaries are gross. What lands in your account after income tax and mandatory contributions is what actually pays the rent, so here is the estimated split on the Stockholm senior median.
Gross / year
SEK 958,000
Senior median (50th pct)
Take-home / year
SEK 597,584
62% of gross
Take-home / month
SEK 49,799
from SEK 79,833 gross
Effective rate
38%
tax + contributions
On a senior median of SEK 958,000 in Stockholm, an estimated SEK 360,416 goes to income tax and mandatory contributions, leaving roughly SEK 597,584 take-home, or about 62% of gross.
That deduction breaks down as roughly SEK 360,416 in income tax at this income level in Sweden.
In monthly terms that is about SEK 49,799 net from SEK 79,833 gross a month, the figure that actually lands in a backend engineer's account before pension or benefit elections.
Affordability
"Good" depends on what the city costs. Type your own figure below to see the estimated take-home and how far it goes against Stockholm's single-person cost of living, or read the verdict on the senior median first.
Enter an annual gross figure to see the estimated take-home and how it compares with Stockholm's single-person cost of living. Estimate based on Swedish Skatteverket 2025 (municipal + state).
Take-home / year
SEK 597,584
62% of gross
Take-home / month
SEK 49,799
from SEK 79,833 gross
Est. monthly living cost
SEK 43,660
incl. ~SEK 32,170 rent
Left over / month
SEK 6,139
12% of take-home
manageable in Stockholm
On SEK 958,000 gross, your estimated take-home covers typical single-person living costs with a modest margin left, with rent taking a larger share of take-home than the 30% guideline. Rent is about 65% of monthly take-home here.
Reference estimate for a single filer with no dependants, using published 2025/2026 statutory bands and a cost-of-living index where New York City equals 100. It is not tax advice or a personalised calculation. Real take-home and living costs vary with filing status, pension elections, allowances, and where exactly you live.
Against Stockholm's single-person cost base, a senior backend engineer on this median is manageable: the estimated take-home of SEK 49,799 a month covers typical single-person living costs with a modest margin left, with rent taking a larger share of take-home than the 30% guideline.
Typical single-person monthly costs in Stockholm, including roughly SEK 32,170 for a one-bedroom rental, come to about SEK 43,660, which would leave around SEK 6,139 discretionary each month at the median.
Rent works out at about 65% of monthly take-home here, against the conventional 30% guideline often used as a reference point.
The verdict is descriptive, not advice: it compares one number against a modelled cost base. Living costs and tax both vary with circumstances this page cannot see.
Why the same job title in Stockholm can span the spread shown above. These are descriptions of the data, not guidance on what to ask for.
Stockholm has a cost of living about 28% lower than New York City. Because the two report in different currencies, compare the percentile tables directly rather than the headline numbers.
Real-terms figures divide the nominal median by the city cost-of-living index (New York City = 100). They are a rough purchasing-power comparison, not a take-home or after-tax calculation.
The mid-level median anchors to occupation medians from the sources below, then scales by the documented seniority multipliers (junior 0.65x, mid 1.00x, senior 1.45x, staff 2.05x) and the local tech-pay level for Stockholm. The 10th, 25th, 75th, and 90th percentiles are fitted from the median using the cross-sectional dispersion that the US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports for software occupations. Cost-of-living indices blend Numbeo 2025 and Mercer 2025.
Primary source for this slice: Eurostat earnings 2025 + US BLS OES May 2024 (SOC 15-1252) + Levels.fyi 2025 (2025). https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/earn_ses_pub2s/default/table
Reference data only. Reported medians describe a market; individual pay varies by employer, level calibration, and negotiation. Nothing here is financial advice.
Compare backend engineer pay with adjacent roles in the same market.