Software Engineer Salary: Lima vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇵🇪 Lima
Peru
S/80K PEN
$22K USD
$57K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-88%
Lima vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$185K USD
$185K USD
$185K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Lima | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | S/80K PEN | $185K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $22K | $185K | -88% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $57K | $185K 🏆 | -69% |
| 25th Percentile | S/64K PEN | $148K USD | — |
| Median | S/80K PEN | $185K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | S/100K PEN | $231K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | S/86K PEN | $200K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Lima offers a Software Engineer salary of $22K USD, while San Francisco offers $185K USD — a difference of -88% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Lima's salary is worth $57K in US purchasing power terms, versus $185K for San Francisco. This means San Francisco offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.