Surgeon Salary: Boston vs Shanghai
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Boston
United States
$388K USD
$388K USD
$388K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
VS
USD Difference
+191%
Boston vs Shanghai
🇨🇳 Shanghai
China
¥950K CNY
$133K USD
$317K PPP
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Boston | Shanghai | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $388K USD | ¥950K CNY | — |
| USD Equivalent | $388K | $133K | +191% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $388K 🏆 | $317K | +22% |
| 25th Percentile | $310K USD | ¥760K CNY | — |
| Median | $388K USD | ¥950K CNY | — |
| 75th Percentile | $484K USD | ¥1.2M CNY | — |
| Annual Mean | $419K USD | ¥1.0M CNY | — |
What Does This Mean?
Boston offers a Surgeon salary of $388K USD, while Shanghai offers $133K USD — a difference of +191% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Boston's salary is worth $388K in US purchasing power terms, versus $317K for Shanghai. This means Boston 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.