Data engineer salary
Percentile salary data for data engineer roles in Warsaw, PL, by seniority. Senior-level figures include total compensation where regionally applicable. Figures are shown in USD by default, with the local PLN amount alongside; use the currency switcher to change the display.
Warsaw carries a cost-of-living index of 47 on the Numbeo and Mercer blended scale where New York City equals 100, a very low cost of living that is far below New York City. The figures below are nominal pay in PLN; read them alongside that index when comparing Warsaw with other markets.
Median pay by seniority
Junior
$31,000 (local: PLN 124,000)
Base p50
Mid
$47,500 (local: PLN 190,000)
Base p50
Senior
$69,000 (local: PLN 276,000)
Base p50
Staff
$173,750 (local: PLN 695,000)
Total comp p50
Distribution
10th, 25th, 50th, 75th, and 90th percentile by seniority, shown in the local currency (PLN). The detailed table below defaults to USD.
Salary percentiles by seniority, in PLN. Junior: 10th percentile PLN 80,000, 25th PLN 101,000, median PLN 124,000, 75th PLN 155,000, 90th percentile PLN 192,000. Mid: 10th percentile PLN 124,000, 25th PLN 156,000, median PLN 190,000, 75th PLN 238,000, 90th percentile PLN 295,000. Senior: 10th percentile PLN 179,000, 25th PLN 226,000, median PLN 276,000, 75th PLN 345,000, 90th percentile PLN 428,000. Staff: 10th percentile PLN 500,000, 25th PLN 598,000, median PLN 695,000, 75th PLN 938,000, 90th percentile PLN 1,251,000.
| Seniority | 10th | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th | Comp | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| junior | $20,000 | $25,250 | $31,000 | $38,750 | $48,000 | Base | 280 |
| mid | $31,000 | $39,000 | $47,500 | $59,500 | $73,750 | Base | 420 |
| senior | $44,750 | $56,500 | $69,000 | $86,250 | $107,000 | Base | 180 |
| staff | $125,000 | $149,500 | $173,750 | $234,500 | $312,750 | 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 47 (NYC=100)
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 Warsaw.
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 Warsaw senior median.
Gross / year
PLN 276,000
Senior median (50th pct)
Take-home / year
PLN 183,440
66% of gross
Take-home / month
PLN 15,287
from PLN 23,000 gross
Effective rate
34%
tax + contributions
On a senior median of PLN 276,000 in Warsaw, an estimated PLN 92,560 goes to income tax and mandatory contributions, leaving roughly PLN 183,440 take-home, or about 66% of gross.
That deduction breaks down as roughly PLN 54,720 in income tax and PLN 37,840 in social contributions at this income level in Poland.
In monthly terms that is about PLN 15,287 net from PLN 23,000 gross a month, the figure that actually lands in a data 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 Warsaw'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 Warsaw's single-person cost of living. Estimate based on Poland 2025 PIT + ZUS (employee).
Take-home / year
PLN 183,440
66% of gross
Take-home / month
PLN 15,287
from PLN 23,000 gross
Est. monthly living cost
PLN 10,716
incl. ~PLN 7,896 rent
Left over / month
PLN 4,571
30% of take-home
manageable in Warsaw
On PLN 276,000 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 52% 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 Warsaw's single-person cost base, a senior data engineer on this median is manageable: the estimated take-home of PLN 15,287 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 Warsaw, including roughly PLN 7,896 for a one-bedroom rental, come to about PLN 10,716, which would leave around PLN 4,571 discretionary each month at the median.
Rent works out at about 52% 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 Warsaw can span the spread shown above. These are descriptions of the data, not guidance on what to ask for.
Warsaw has a cost of living about 53% 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 Warsaw. 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.
Compare data engineer pay with adjacent roles in the same market.