Sovereign

Tech

Software Engineer Salary · London vs Hong Kong

Net pay, tax drag, and purchasing power modeled for 2025 offers. Built for relocating teams, expats, and comp committees.

Net pay

London

£71,068

39.3% effective rate

Net pay

Hong Kong

HK$1,152,070

15.4% effective rate

Annual delta

Spread

-HK$1,081,002

Hong Kong advantage

City

London

Europe’s leading financial center. Salaries typically include a "London weighting" to offset housing costs.

Median professional income

£48,500

Role modeled

Software Engineer

Gross base

£117,000

Net after tax

£71,068

Cost-of-living index

56

Rent index

56

City

Hong Kong

A gateway to Asian capital markets. Features a simple, low-rate tax system capped at 17%.

Median professional income

HK$440,000

Role modeled

Software Engineer

Gross base

HK$1,361,000

Net after tax

HK$1,152,070

Cost-of-living index

96

Rent index

75

Purchasing power

Net income vs lifestyle drag

London

£5,922

Housing£1,777
Essentials£1,184
Discretionary£1,481
Savings£1,481

Hong Kong

HK$96,006

HousingHK$24,001
EssentialsHK$14,401
DiscretionaryHK$24,001
SavingsHK$33,602

Cost-of-living deep dive

Flip into the COL template for this exact pair. See rent burdens, discretionary drift, and PPP commentary.

Open COL page

Remote benchmark

Need a borderless baseline? Run the remote analyzer across our tier-one city basket.

Remote comparison

More combinations

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Frequently asked

Who wins for Software Engineer net pay: London or Hong Kong?+
Hong Kong keeps about HK$1,081,002 more after tax (15.4% effective rate) compared to London (39.3%).
How different are the cost-of-living profiles?+
London posts a cost-of-living index of 56 and rent index of 56. Hong Kong comes in at 96 / 75. The purchasing power gap tightens once you factor in rent and lifestyle drift.
What salary uplift offsets London's taxes?+
You would need roughly £1,779,665 in additional gross compensation to match the same take-home pay in Hong Kong.