Sovereign

Tech

Software Engineer Salary · Singapore vs Hong Kong

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

Net pay

Singapore

$189,260

18.8% effective rate

Net pay

Hong Kong

HK$1,152,070

15.4% effective rate

Annual delta

Spread

-HK$962,810

Hong Kong advantage

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

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

Singapore

$15,772

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

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

Interlink into adjacent hubs to keep crawlers following the mesh.

Frequently asked

Who wins for Software Engineer net pay: Singapore or Hong Kong?+
Hong Kong keeps about HK$962,810 more after tax (15.4% effective rate) compared to Singapore (18.8%).
How different are the cost-of-living profiles?+
Singapore posts a cost-of-living index of 50 and rent index of 63. Hong Kong comes in at 96 / 75. The purchasing power gap tightens once you factor in rent and lifestyle drift.
What salary uplift offsets Singapore's taxes?+
You would need roughly $1,185,326 in additional gross compensation to match the same take-home pay in Hong Kong.