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Average Software Developer Salary in China for 2026

A software developer in China earns about 327,300 CNY a year. That's 7% below the national average of 351,900 CNY.

Pay ranges widely from country to country and from role to role. The lowest reported salaries in China sit around 172,200 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 500,100 CNY. Everything on this page is in Chinese yuan (CNY, symbol ¥), which lets you compare numbers like-for-like without worrying about exchange rates.

The numbers here are pulled together from official government wage data, large independent salary surveys, and aggregated worker-reported pay. Most reported salaries include the benefits that are common in China, such as housing or transport allowances, which is worth keeping in mind if you're comparing against a country where those are usually paid on top.

How much does a software developer make in China?

Average salary
327,300 CNY
27,275 CNY per month
Lowest reported
172,200 CNY
14,350 CNY per month
Highest reported
500,100 CNY
41,675 CNY per month

A typical software developer working in China brings home around 27,275 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 172,200 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 500,100 CNY for the most experienced and specialised people in the role.

The wide gap between low end and top end reflects how much pay can vary inside the same job title. A junior software developer working at a small local employer earns very different money from a senior at a multinational. Skills, employer, city and years in the seat all push the number around.

How software developer pay ranges in China

A good way to think about salary in China is to look at the distribution rather than the headline average. Half of all software developers in China earn less than 308,300 CNY a year, and the other half earn more. That middle number is the median, and it is usually more useful than the average for answering "is my pay normal here".

Looking at the quartiles fills in the picture. A quarter of earners take home less than 216,800 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 381,800 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of software developers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 172,200 CNY. The highest stretch to 500,100 CNY, though only a small fraction of earners ever reach that level. If you are deciding whether your own offer or current pay is reasonable, work out which of those four bands you would fall into and use that as your reference point.

172,200
Low
308,300
Median
500,100
High
216,800
25th
381,800
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Software developer pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a software developer in China, ahead of education and almost any other single factor. The longer you have been in the role, the more your employer can trust you to handle complexity, mentor others and act independently, all of which command higher pay. The chart below shows how the typical software developer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    200,000 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +23% from previous
    246,200 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +41% from previous
    348,300 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +17% from previous
    407,100 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +10% from previous
    448,500 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +5% from previous
    472,100 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 2 - 5 Years to 5 - 10 Years, where pay rises by about 41%. That is the point at which a software developer typically goes from "competent in the role" to "the person other people in the team learn from", and the market pays well for that step.

Software developer pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving software developer pay in China. Higher qualifications consistently pull higher salaries, but the size of the gap tends to be smallest at junior levels and widens as people move up. Two people in the same role with the same years of experience but different degrees can end up earning very different money once they reach mid-career.

Below is the average software developer salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    246,200 CNY
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +29% from previous
    318,800 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +43% from previous
    455,400 CNY

Software developer gender pay gap in China

The gender pay gap is a stubborn feature of almost every labour market, and China is no exception. Male software developers in China earn an average of 341,400 CNY a year, while female software developers earn around 312,400 CNY. That works out to a 9% gap in favour of men, even when comparing people doing the same work.

A pay gap of this size has a real long-term cost. Over a typical thirty-year career it can add up to several years of pay, and it compounds through pensions, retirement contributions and bonus-linked stock. Some of the gap is explained by women being more likely to work part-time, take career breaks, or be steered toward lower-paying specialisations. Some of it is straightforward unequal pay for the same job, which is harder to defend.

Software Developer gender pay gap

8%

Men earn this much more than women on average in China.

Men 341,400 CNY
Women 312,400 CNY

Pay raises for a software developer in China

Most countries hand out at least some kind of pay raise every year, typically when an employee's contract is reviewed or as a cost-of-living adjustment to keep wages roughly in step with inflation. The rhythm and size of those raises varies hugely between industries.

A typical worker doing this role in China sees a raise of about 12% every 17 months, which works out to roughly 8% on an annual basis. That figure is the typical underlying rate; in years where inflation runs high you can usually expect a bit more, and in flat-economy years a bit less.

Across all jobs in China, the national average raise is around 9% every 15 months.

By industry

Industries with the highest pay raises in China:

  • Banking
  • Energy
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Travel
  • Construction
  • Education
    2%

By experience level

Experienced workers tend to see larger raises. Retaining a senior is cheaper than replacing them, so employers fight harder for them.

  • Junior Level
    3% - 5%
  • Mid-Career
  • Senior Level
  • Top Management

Software developer bonus rates in China

Bonuses are the other half of total compensation, and they vary a lot between jobs and industries. Some roles are paid almost entirely in base salary; others lean heavily on bonus structures tied to revenue, project completion or company performance. Whether a job pays a bonus, how big it is, and how often it lands all factor into whether the headline salary is actually a good offer.

53%

53% of software developers in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a software developer a moderate-bonus role overall, which is useful context when you're weighing up a job offer where the base is below market.

Among those who did receive a bonus, the size of the payment varied substantially. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary. The remaining 47% of software developers reported no bonus at all over the same period.

Which careers pay bonuses in China

Revenue-facing roles tend to pay the biggest bonuses. Operational and support roles tend toward smaller, more predictable ones.

  • Finance
  • Architecture
  • Sales
  • Business Development
  • Marketing / Advertising
  • Information Technology
  • Healthcare
  • Insurance
  • Customer Service
  • Human Resources
  • Construction
  • Transport
  • Hospitality

Software developer: public vs private sector pay

Public-sector pay in China is about 6% more than private-sector pay for similar work. The private sector typically offers stronger upside and bigger bonuses; the public sector typically offers better benefits and stability.

Public vs private pay gap

6%

Public-sector workers earn this much more than private-sector workers in China on average.

Public sector 362,200 CNY
Private sector 341,400 CNY

Software developer salary by city and region in China

Software developer pay is not even across China. The chart below shows the highest-paying cities and regions in the dataset, followed by the full location table.

  • Guangdong
  • Shanghai (city)
  • Guangzhou
  • Chongqing (city)
  • Beijing (city)
  • Henan
  • Hangzhou
  • Hebei
  • Sichuan
  • Hunan
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
GuangdongRegion407,300 CNY417,200 CNY200,000-638,700 CNY
Shanghai (city)City406,300 CNY394,500 CNY207,800-623,200 CNY
GuangzhouCity398,300 CNY375,200 CNY209,500-605,700 CNY
Chongqing (city)City397,900 CNY430,000 CNY183,700-633,300 CNY
Beijing (city)City396,300 CNY389,200 CNY204,700-610,100 CNY
HenanRegion394,500 CNY381,800 CNY207,800-606,400 CNY
HangzhouCity392,300 CNY415,900 CNY185,100-619,000 CNY
HebeiRegion386,400 CNY403,100 CNY187,500-607,400 CNY
SichuanRegion384,200 CNY359,900 CNY204,700-580,600 CNY
HunanRegion383,300 CNY406,300 CNY180,300-602,700 CNY
ChengduCity378,300 CNY392,300 CNY181,600-592,200 CNY
ZhejiangRegion377,200 CNY345,700 CNY204,700-566,900 CNY
ShandongRegion371,100 CNY394,300 CNY174,000-587,800 CNY
JiangsuRegion367,200 CNY376,800 CNY180,500-575,100 CNY
AnhuiRegion367,200 CNY382,600 CNY176,800-578,500 CNY
FujianRegion361,600 CNY330,900 CNY194,600-544,800 CNY
HarbinCity361,500 CNY369,900 CNY175,900-563,300 CNY
JiangxiRegion359,900 CNY351,900 CNY183,600-552,400 CNY
NanjingCity359,900 CNY359,900 CNY180,300-555,800 CNY
WuhanCity359,900 CNY351,900 CNY183,600-552,400 CNY
HubeiRegion357,300 CNY327,800 CNY192,600-539,800 CNY
GuangxiRegion353,600 CNY345,700 CNY181,600-543,200 CNY
LiaoningRegion353,600 CNY383,300 CNY161,600-563,000 CNY
JinanCity352,000 CNY357,700 CNY172,200-545,300 CNY
Xi anCity351,900 CNY378,800 CNY161,300-559,000 CNY
YunnanRegion351,900 CNY340,000 CNY183,700-539,800 CNY
Tianjin (city)City349,300 CNY332,100 CNY181,600-533,100 CNY
SuzhouCity341,900 CNY313,700 CNY187,500-519,300 CNY
ShenyangCity341,900 CNY369,900 CNY158,700-543,200 CNY
ShaanxiRegion340,400 CNY314,500 CNY183,700-516,100 CNY
GuizhouRegion340,400 CNY317,700 CNY180,500-514,800 CNY
QingdaoCity340,000 CNY366,200 CNY157,600-539,800 CNY
ChangchunCity335,800 CNY327,300 CNY172,200-518,300 CNY
ShenzhenCity330,700 CNY308,300 CNY174,000-500,100 CNY
ShantouCity327,800 CNY335,100 CNY159,500-510,200 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion327,800 CNY327,800 CNY163,800-507,300 CNY
DongguanCity325,900 CNY332,500 CNY159,400-510,000 CNY
WenzhouCity325,800 CNY311,700 CNY169,000-498,500 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region322,600 CNY308,300 CNY167,100-492,700 CNY
Beijing (region)Region318,800 CNY318,800 CNY159,400-493,000 CNY
FuzhouCity315,900 CNY301,700 CNY163,800-485,300 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region315,700 CNY340,400 CNY146,200-500,100 CNY
GansuRegion315,700 CNY332,100 CNY148,300-499,300 CNY
ShanxiRegion313,700 CNY309,800 CNY159,500-485,200 CNY
JilinRegion312,400 CNY292,000 CNY163,800-472,100 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region311,700 CNY318,800 CNY152,000-485,200 CNY
ChangshaCity309,800 CNY282,500 CNY168,100-464,900 CNY
QuanzhouCity307,400 CNY330,900 CNY138,800-487,600 CNY
DalianCity307,400 CNY330,700 CNY138,800-485,200 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion307,400 CNY318,800 CNY148,300-480,600 CNY
FoshanCity307,400 CNY301,800 CNY157,600-472,100 CNY
WuxiCity301,700 CNY308,300 CNY150,000-472,100 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion301,600 CNY315,700 CNY146,200-475,700 CNY
XiamenCity299,500 CNY299,500 CNY150,000-462,300 CNY
NingxiaRegion299,500 CNY299,500 CNY150,000-460,500 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region297,000 CNY297,000 CNY151,800-466,300 CNY
HainanRegion294,700 CNY313,700 CNY136,100-466,300 CNY
KunmingCity294,700 CNY301,300 CNY142,300-459,300 CNY
ZhengzhouCity294,300 CNY286,400 CNY151,800-453,200 CNY
QinghaiRegion277,400 CNY267,100 CNY146,200-425,100 CNY

Software Developer in China: FAQs

  • How much does a software developer make per month in China?

    A software developer in China earns about 27,275 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 327,300 CNY.

  • What's the salary range for a software developer in China?

    Entry-level software developers in China start near 172,200 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 500,100 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 216,800 and 381,800 CNY.

  • Is the median software developer salary in China higher or lower than the average?

    The median is 308,300 CNY, lower than the average of 327,300 CNY. Half of software developers in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

  • What's the gender pay gap for software developers in China?

    Men working as a software developer in China earn around 9% more than women on average (341,400 vs 312,400 CNY a year).

  • Do software developers in China get bonuses?

    About 53% of software developers in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

  • Do software developers earn more in the public or private sector in China?

    In China, the public sector pays a software developer about 6% more on average. Public-sector pay tends to be steadier; private-sector pay tends to offer bigger upside.

  • How often do software developers in China get a pay raise?

    A software developer in China sees a raise of around 12% every 17 months, equivalent to roughly 8% a year.