Sovereign

Tech

Software Engineer Salary · London vs Singapore

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

Singapore

$189,260

18.8% effective rate

Annual delta

Spread

-$118,192

Singapore 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

Singapore

Asia’s premier wealth management hub. Known for ultra-low personal income tax and high expatriate demand.

Median professional income

$105,500

Role modeled

Software Engineer

Gross base

$233,000

Net after tax

$189,260

Cost-of-living index

50

Rent index

63

Purchasing power

Net income vs lifestyle drag

London

£5,922

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

Singapore

$15,772

Housing$4,732
Essentials$3,154
Discretionary$3,943
Savings$3,943

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

Interlink into adjacent hubs to keep crawlers following the mesh.

Frequently asked

Who wins for Software Engineer net pay: London or Singapore?+
Singapore keeps about $118,192 more after tax (18.8% 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. Singapore comes in at 50 / 63. The purchasing power gap tightens once you factor in rent and lifestyle drift.
What salary uplift offsets London's taxes?+
You would need roughly £194,581 in additional gross compensation to match the same take-home pay in Singapore.