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Average Software QA Engineer Salary in China for 2026

A software QA engineer in China earns about 317,700 CNY a year. That's 10% 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 164,200 CNY a year, while the very top stretches to 489,600 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 QA engineer make in China?

Average salary
317,700 CNY
26,475 CNY per month
Lowest reported
164,200 CNY
13,683 CNY per month
Highest reported
489,600 CNY
40,800 CNY per month

A typical software QA engineer working in China brings home around 26,475 CNY a month before tax. Entry-level pay starts near 164,200 CNY, and the top of the ladder reaches roughly 489,600 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 QA engineer 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 QA engineer 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 QA engineers in China earn less than 308,900 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 210,500 CNY (the 25th percentile), and a quarter clear 383,300 CNY (the 75th percentile). The middle 50% of software QA engineers sit somewhere inside that band, which is where the typical reader of this page probably lives.

The very lowest reported salaries sit around 164,200 CNY. The highest stretch to 489,600 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.

164,200
Low
308,900
Median
489,600
High
210,500
25th
383,300
75th
The middle 50% sit between the 25th and 75th percentile Tails are the lowest and highest reported All figures in CNY

Software QA engineer pay by experience in China

Years of experience is the single biggest lever on pay for a software QA engineer 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 QA engineer salary changes as you move through the career ladder.

  • 0-2 Years
    189,300 CNY
  • 2-5 Years
    +33% from previous
    252,300 CNY
  • 5-10 Years
    +30% from previous
    327,300 CNY
  • 10-15 Years
    +22% from previous
    398,300 CNY
  • 15-20 Years
    +9% from previous
    433,800 CNY
  • 20+ Years
    +6% from previous
    459,700 CNY

The single largest jump on the ladder is from 0 - 2 Years to 2 - 5 Years, where pay rises by about 33%. That is the point at which a software QA engineer 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 QA engineer pay by education in China

Education sits alongside experience as one of the biggest factors driving software QA engineer 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 QA engineer salary in China broken down by the highest level of education a worker has completed.

  • Certificate or Diploma
    225,700 CNY
  • Bachelor's Degree
    +51% from previous
    340,400 CNY
  • Master's Degree
    +42% from previous
    483,400 CNY

Software QA engineer 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 QA engineers in China earn an average of 335,100 CNY a year, while female software QA engineers earn around 309,800 CNY. That works out to a 8% 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 QA Engineer gender pay gap

8%

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

Men 335,100 CNY
Women 309,800 CNY

Pay raises for a software QA engineer 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 QA engineer 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.

54%

54% of software QA engineers in China reported a bonus of some kind in the past twelve months. That makes a software QA engineer 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 46% of software QA engineers 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 QA engineer: 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 QA engineer salary by city and region in China

Software QA engineer 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.

  • Shandong
  • Guangzhou
  • Henan
  • Wuhan
  • Guangdong
  • Jiangsu
  • Hunan
  • Hebei
  • Chengdu
  • Chongqing (city)
LocationTypeAverageMedianRange
ShandongRegion369,900 CNY354,000 CNY192,600-565,100 CNY
GuangzhouCity357,700 CNY341,900 CNY187,500-545,300 CNY
HenanRegion351,900 CNY378,800 CNY161,300-559,000 CNY
WuhanCity349,300 CNY354,000 CNY172,200-544,800 CNY
GuangdongRegion348,300 CNY377,200 CNY159,500-553,400 CNY
JiangsuRegion348,300 CNY377,200 CNY159,500-555,800 CNY
HunanRegion341,400 CNY327,800 CNY175,900-520,900 CNY
HebeiRegion340,400 CNY344,600 CNY164,200-528,600 CNY
ChengduCity340,000 CNY344,600 CNY164,200-528,500 CNY
Chongqing (city)City339,100 CNY365,400 CNY154,700-535,800 CNY
Shanghai (city)City339,100 CNY345,100 CNY164,200-524,300 CNY
JinanCity335,800 CNY361,500 CNY154,700-533,000 CNY
SichuanRegion332,500 CNY317,700 CNY172,400-510,000 CNY
HubeiRegion332,100 CNY340,400 CNY161,600-522,700 CNY
HangzhouCity330,900 CNY318,800 CNY172,200-504,500 CNY
Beijing (city)City330,900 CNY339,100 CNY161,300-514,800 CNY
ShenzhenCity327,800 CNY315,700 CNY172,200-502,200 CNY
HarbinCity327,300 CNY354,000 CNY152,100-520,900 CNY
LiaoningRegion325,800 CNY352,000 CNY150,000-514,800 CNY
NanjingCity325,600 CNY311,700 CNY169,000-499,300 CNY
JiangxiRegion325,600 CNY330,900 CNY159,400-507,300 CNY
Xi anCity325,600 CNY352,000 CNY151,800-518,300 CNY
ShantouCity320,500 CNY349,300 CNY148,300-513,300 CNY
ZhejiangRegion320,500 CNY327,800 CNY158,700-502,200 CNY
AnhuiRegion319,600 CNY327,800 CNY158,700-500,100 CNY
ShaanxiRegion319,600 CNY325,900 CNY158,700-498,000 CNY
GuangxiRegion317,700 CNY325,900 CNY158,700-498,000 CNY
Tianjin (city)City315,900 CNY341,400 CNY146,200-501,400 CNY
QingdaoCity315,700 CNY340,400 CNY142,300-498,000 CNY
YunnanRegion315,700 CNY340,400 CNY142,300-498,000 CNY
ShenyangCity314,500 CNY340,000 CNY142,300-499,300 CNY
SuzhouCity313,700 CNY320,500 CNY154,700-492,400 CNY
WenzhouCity301,800 CNY325,800 CNY139,100-476,600 CNY
HeilongjiangRegion301,700 CNY292,000 CNY158,700-466,300 CNY
FujianRegion301,700 CNY308,300 CNY150,000-472,100 CNY
ChangchunCity301,300 CNY308,900 CNY148,300-467,700 CNY
JilinRegion299,500 CNY283,700 CNY154,700-454,900 CNY
Shanghai (region)Region296,000 CNY319,600 CNY137,400-472,100 CNY
Nei MonggolRegion294,300 CNY301,800 CNY142,300-459,700 CNY
GuizhouRegion294,300 CNY283,400 CNY152,000-447,700 CNY
KunmingCity290,800 CNY314,500 CNY134,600-460,500 CNY
DongguanCity290,800 CNY311,700 CNY134,600-459,300 CNY
FoshanCity288,100 CNY294,700 CNY138,800-448,500 CNY
FuzhouCity288,100 CNY312,400 CNY130,400-457,300 CNY
ShanxiRegion288,100 CNY294,700 CNY138,800-448,500 CNY
QuanzhouCity286,400 CNY312,400 CNY130,400-457,300 CNY
WuxiCity283,400 CNY305,600 CNY128,500-447,700 CNY
Chongqing (region)Region282,500 CNY308,900 CNY128,900-453,200 CNY
XiamenCity282,300 CNY273,300 CNY148,300-431,300 CNY
ChangshaCity281,500 CNY288,100 CNY139,100-436,200 CNY
GansuRegion281,500 CNY271,300 CNY148,300-431,100 CNY
DalianCity277,400 CNY301,800 CNY129,000-440,200 CNY
NingxiaRegion275,800 CNY265,000 CNY142,300-420,800 CNY
QinghaiRegion275,200 CNY294,700 CNY127,700-433,800 CNY
Xinjiang UygurRegion271,300 CNY273,000 CNY130,400-421,400 CNY
HainanRegion267,100 CNY286,400 CNY123,400-424,900 CNY
Beijing (region)Region265,000 CNY254,700 CNY139,100-404,600 CNY
Tianjin (region)Region263,100 CNY282,300 CNY119,900-419,400 CNY
ZhengzhouCity254,800 CNY261,300 CNY124,400-398,300 CNY
Xizang [Tibet]Region252,300 CNY240,500 CNY128,900-385,300 CNY

Software QA Engineer in China: FAQs

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

    A software QA engineer in China earns about 26,475 CNY a month before tax, based on an annual average of 317,700 CNY.

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

    Entry-level software QA engineers in China start near 164,200 CNY. Top-end pay reaches around 489,600 CNY. The middle 50% of earners sit between 210,500 and 383,300 CNY.

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

    The median is 308,900 CNY, lower than the average of 317,700 CNY. Half of software QA engineers in China earn below the median, half earn above it.

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

    Men working as a software QA engineer in China earn around 8% more than women on average (335,100 vs 309,800 CNY a year).

  • Do software QA engineers in China get bonuses?

    About 54% of software QA engineers in China reported a bonus in the past 12 months. Reported bonuses ranged from 3% to 5% of base salary.

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

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

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

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