How to compare job salaries

Comparing two careers is more than lining up two medians. Use national salary pages, percentile bands, and take-home estimates — then decide with total package and lifestyle in mind.

A fair comparison checklist

Fix the country and seniority first. A junior title in one market is not comparable to a senior band in another.
Open each role’s national salary page and note median, p25, and p75 — not only the single average.
Convert both packages to the same display currency, then run take-home with the tax calculator.
Adjust for cost of living if a move is involved. Read salary vs cost of living.
Fold in equity, bonus, hours, and benefits. Cash median alone misranks many offers.

What we publish (and what we do not)

Pay by Role covers 77 careers across 40 countries with real national medians. City pages appear when we have observed metro percentiles — not as thousands of near-duplicate comparison doorways.

For career-change context, see changing careers and pay and how to read a salary range.