Data engineer salary
Data engineer salary in Singapore
Percentile salary data for data engineer roles in Singapore, SG, by seniority. Senior-level figures include total compensation where regionally applicable. Figures are shown in USD by default, with the local SGD amount alongside; use the currency switcher to change the display.
Singapore carries a cost-of-living index of 96 on the Numbeo and Mercer blended scale where New York City equals 100, a high cost of living that is close to New York City. The figures below are nominal pay in SGD; read them alongside that index when comparing Singapore with other markets.
Median pay by seniority
Median pay by seniority
Junior
US$59,200 (local: $80,000)
Base p50
Mid
US$91,020 (local: $123,000)
Base p50
Senior
US$182,040 (local: $246,000)
Total comp p50
Staff
US$332,260 (local: $449,000)
Total comp p50
Distribution
Percentile distribution
10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile by seniority, shown in the local currency (SGD). The detailed table below defaults to USD.
Salary percentiles by seniority, in SGD. Junior: 10th percentile SGD 52,000, 25th SGD 66,000, median SGD 80,000, 75th SGD 100,000, 90th percentile SGD 124,000. Mid: 10th percentile SGD 80,000, 25th SGD 101,000, median SGD 123,000, 75th SGD 154,000, 90th percentile SGD 191,000. Senior: 10th percentile SGD 160,000, 25th SGD 202,000, median SGD 246,000, 75th SGD 308,000, 90th percentile SGD 381,000. Staff: 10th percentile SGD 323,000, 25th SGD 386,000, median SGD 449,000, 75th SGD 606,000, 90th percentile SGD 808,000.
Detailed figures
| Seniority | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Comp | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| junior | US$38,480 | US$48,840 | US$59,200 | US$74,000 | US$91,760 | Base | 320 |
| mid | US$59,200 | US$74,740 | US$91,020 | US$113,960 | US$141,340 | Base | 480 |
| senior | US$118,400 | US$149,480 | US$182,040 | US$227,920 | US$281,940 | Total comp | 220 |
| staff | US$239,020 | US$285,640 | US$332,260 | US$448,440 | US$597,920 | Total comp | Not reported |
Source: Levels.fyi 2025 Data Engineer + US BLS OES May 2024 (SOC 15-1252) (2025) https://www.levels.fyi/t/software-engineer/focus/data, cost-of-living index 96 (NYC=100)
How pay grows with seniority
Each step compares the median (50th percentile) of one tier with the next, using the figures in the table above for data engineer roles in Singapore.
- Moving from mid to senior, the median rises roughly 100% in Singapore.
- Moving from senior to staff, the median rises roughly 83% in Singapore.
- Across the full ladder, the highest tier median is about 5.6x the entry tier for data engineer roles here, before negotiation and individual level calibration.
Take-home
After-tax pay and per-month 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 Singapore senior median.
Gross / year
$246,000
Senior median (50th pct)
Take-home / year
$199,110
81% of gross
Take-home / month
$16,593
from $20,500 gross
Effective rate
19%
tax + contributions
On a senior median of $246,000 in Singapore, an estimated $46,890 goes to income tax and mandatory contributions, leaving roughly $199,110 take-home, or about 81% of gross.
That deduction breaks down as roughly $26,490 in income tax and $20,400 in social contributions at this income level in Singapore.
In monthly terms that is about $16,593 net from $20,500 gross a month, the figure that actually lands in a data engineer's account before pension or benefit elections.
Affordability
Is this a good salary in Singapore?
"Good" depends on what the city costs. Type your own figure below to see the estimated take-home and how far it goes against Singapore'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 Singapore's single-person cost of living. Estimate based on Singapore IRAS 2025 + employee CPF.
Take-home / year
$199,110
81% of gross
Take-home / month
$16,593
from $20,500 gross
Est. monthly living cost
$7,395
incl. ~$5,449 rent
Left over / month
$9,198
55% of take-home
comfortable in Singapore
On $246,000 gross, your estimated take-home covers typical single-person living costs with a healthy margin, and rent sits near the conventional 30% guideline. Rent is about 33% 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 Singapore's single-person cost base, a senior data engineer on this median is comfortable: the estimated take-home of $16,593 a month covers typical single-person living costs with a healthy margin, and rent sits near the conventional 30% guideline.
Typical single-person monthly costs in Singapore, including roughly $5,449 for a one-bedroom rental, come to about $7,395, which would leave around $9,198 discretionary each month at the median.
Rent works out at about 33% 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.
What drives the range
Why the same job title in Singapore can span the spread shown above. These are descriptions of the data, not guidance on what to ask for.
- Base versus total compensation
- Senior and staff figures here are reported as total compensation, so they fold in bonus and equity rather than base salary alone. The mid and junior rows are base only, which is part of why the step up between mid and senior looks larger than the raw seniority multiplier.
- Cost of living
- Singapore carries a cost-of-living index of 96 on a scale where New York City is 100. Local pay levels track local market rates and tech employer presence, not the cost-of-living index directly, so a lower index does not translate one-for-one into lower real pay.
- Role premium
- Data engineer pay is anchored to occupation-specific medians from the underlying labour statistics, then adjusted for the local tech market. Specialisation, scarcity of the skill set, and the mix of employers hiring for it in Singapore all feed the published range.
The Singapore market
Singapore functions as the tech gateway to Southeast Asia. Regional headquarters of American and Chinese platforms, homegrown super-apps, and a dense banking sector drive demand, with government-linked digital projects adding another steady employer. Hiring is efficient and businesslike; loops are shorter than Silicon Valley's, and offers arrive quickly when there is a fit. English is the working language everywhere. Work-pass policy has tightened, with salary floors that rise with age and a points framework favouring specialised skills, so sponsorship is realistic for senior engineers and harder for junior ones. Low income tax flatters take-home pay, but rent has climbed sharply and housing will absorb much of that advantage for newcomers.
Cost-of-living-adjusted pay
Singapore has a cost of living about 4% 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.
Methodology and sources
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 Singapore. 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: Levels.fyi 2025 Data Engineer + US BLS OES May 2024 (SOC 15-1252) (2025). https://www.levels.fyi/t/software-engineer/focus/data
Reference data only. Reported medians describe a market; individual pay varies by employer, level calibration, and negotiation. Nothing here is financial advice.
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