Software Engineer Salary: Lima vs Seattle
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 Seattle
🇺🇸 Seattle
United States
$175K USD
$175K USD
$175K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Lima | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | S/80K PEN | $175K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $22K | $175K | -88% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $57K | $175K 🏆 | -68% |
| 25th Percentile | S/64K PEN | $140K USD | — |
| Median | S/80K PEN | $175K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | S/100K PEN | $219K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | S/86K PEN | $189K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Lima offers a Software Engineer salary of $22K USD, while Seattle offers $175K 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 $175K for Seattle. This means Seattle 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.