Salary by job role — India 2026
Research-backed salary ranges for 30 job roles in India. Covers fresher to leadership pay bands, city-wise salary differences, company-type comparisons, and negotiation tactics.
30
job roles covered
7
major cities: Bangalore, Mumbai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Pune, others
4
company types: Startup, Mid-size, MNC, FAANG
Salary guides by role
Select your job role for detailed salary data including experience levels, cities, and company types.
Banking & Financial Services
Consulting & Strategy
Data Science & AI
Engineering & Infrastructure
Engineering & Manufacturing
Finance & Accounting
Marketing & Content
Marketing & Digital
Operations & Logistics
Operations & Supply Chain
Product Management
Project Management
Sales & Business Development
Technology
Software Engineer
₹4L – ₹45L+ depending on experience and company
Frontend Developer
₹3.5L – ₹35L depending on seniority and stack
Backend Developer
₹5L – ₹40L depending on experience, stack, and company
DevOps Engineer
₹6L – ₹45L depending on seniority and cloud depth
Python Developer
₹4L – ₹35L depending on seniority and stack
Java Developer
₹4L – ₹40L depending on experience and company tier
QA Engineer / Software Tester
₹3L – ₹22L depending on manual vs automation and experience
India salary landscape — key insights for 2026
Bangalore pays 15–25% more than the national average
For technology, product, and engineering roles, Bangalore commands a consistent premium of 15–25% over other metros. This is driven by the concentration of FAANG offices, product unicorns (Swiggy, Zepto, PhonePe, Razorpay), and deep talent market competition. Hyderabad is a close second for tech roles, particularly for Microsoft, Amazon, and Google engineering centres.
Product company vs IT services: 2–4× salary difference
The most important salary variable in India is product company vs IT services. A software engineer with 3 years of experience earns ₹5L–₹9L at TCS/Infosys vs ₹15L–₹25L at a product startup. This gap exists across almost every technical and analytical role. When optimising your CV for salary, targeting product companies is the single highest-leverage action.
FAANG salaries have normalised post-2023 but remain 3–5× above market
The 2022–23 hiring peak saw inflated offers at FAANG India offices. Post-correction, FAANG India salaries are more stable but still 3–5× above industry average for equivalent experience. Total compensation (base + RSUs + bonus) at Google, Amazon, and Microsoft India ranges from ₹25L–₹1Cr+ depending on level.
Fresher salary gap: campus placement vs open market
Campus hires at top IITs/NITs for product companies earn ₹15L–₹45L. The same role via lateral hiring post-1 year earns ₹6L–₹12L. This gap reflects campus premium and role exclusivity. For professionals without a top-tier campus brand, gaining product company experience early (even at a startup) significantly compresses this gap within 2–3 years.
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