Salary by city · UX researcher
Best cities for a UX researcher: salary vs cost of living
Senior UX researcher running qualitative + quantitative studies that inform product direction.
NYC P50 anchor: $165,000/year · scaled by local pay-tier multipliers + FX into each city's currency. Net + lifestyle-tier mapping uses each country's effective payroll deduction.
Illustrative bands, not negotiation data. Cross-check against Levels.fyi, Glassdoor, or local recruiters before quoting these numbers in a real offer conversation.
Who this band describes
Senior UX researchers in this band have 5-8 years of experience, typically a graduate degree in HCI / psychology / sociology, and own multi-method research programs (generative interviews, usability studies, surveys, analytics integration).
Highest pay at public tech companies with mature research orgs. Mid-band at enterprise SaaS and consultancies. The role overlaps with data science in pure-quant settings and with strategy in qualitative-heavy ones — comp varies accordingly.
All cities ranked by best-supported lifestyle tier
P50 local-currency band shown; net is the post-tax monthly take-home at P50. Lifestyle tier is the highest Mundevo tier that net covers in this city.
| City | P25 / P50 / P75 (gross/year) | Net / month at P50 | Best tier | Headroom |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria· Egypt | EGP 3,505,791 EGP 2,762,138 – EGP 4,568,151 | EGP 230,798 | Premium | +440% |
| Delhi· India | ₹7,150,490 ₹5,633,719 – ₹9,317,305 | ₹446,906 | Premium | +337% |
| Cairo· Egypt | EGP 3,505,791 EGP 2,762,138 – EGP 4,568,151 | EGP 230,798 | Premium | +309% |
| Bangalore· India | ₹7,150,490 ₹5,633,719 – ₹9,317,305 | ₹446,906 | Premium | +287% |
| Arequipa· Peru | PEN 264,588 PEN 208,463 – PEN 344,766 | PEN 19,403 | Premium | +275% |
| Jakarta· Indonesia | IDR 1,332,795,768 IDR 1,050,081,514 – IDR 1,736,673,274 | IDR 96,627,693 | Premium | +255% |
| Chiang Mai· Thailand | THB 2,494,403 THB 1,965,287 – THB 3,250,283 | THB 187,080 | Premium | +213% |
| Penang· Malaysia | MYR 303,277 MYR 238,946 – MYR 395,180 | MYR 20,977 | Premium | +206% |
| Valparaiso· Chile | CLP 68,131,403 CLP 53,679,287 – CLP 88,777,283 | CLP 4,703,906 | Premium | +198% |
| Hanoi· Vietnam | ₫1,785,968,820 ₫1,407,126,949 – ₫2,327,171,492 | ₫115,343,820 | Premium | +191% |
| Bogota· Colombia | COP 291,046,771 COP 229,309,577 – COP 379,242,762 | COP 22,313,586 | Premium | +190% |
| Cebu· Philippines | ₱4,648,149 ₱3,662,178 – ₱6,056,679 | ₱325,370 | Premium | +186% |
| Marrakech· Morocco | MAD 714,388 MAD 562,851 – MAD 930,869 | MAD 48,817 | Premium | +185% |
| Mumbai· India | ₹7,150,490 ₹5,633,719 – ₹9,317,305 | ₹446,906 | Premium | +173% |
| Manila· Philippines | ₱4,648,149 ₱3,662,178 – ₱6,056,679 | ₱325,370 | Premium | +166% |
| Lima· Peru | PEN 264,588 PEN 208,463 – PEN 344,766 | PEN 19,403 | Premium | +152% |
| Casablanca· Morocco | MAD 714,388 MAD 562,851 – MAD 930,869 | MAD 48,817 | Premium | +147% |
| Ho Chi Minh City· Vietnam | ₫1,785,968,820 ₫1,407,126,949 – ₫2,327,171,492 | ₫115,343,820 | Premium | +144% |
| Medellin· Colombia | COP 291,046,771 COP 229,309,577 – COP 379,242,762 | COP 22,313,586 | Premium | +141% |
| Santiago· Chile | CLP 68,131,403 CLP 53,679,287 – CLP 88,777,283 | CLP 4,703,906 | Premium | +122% |
| Johannesburg· South Africa | ZAR 1,242,241 ZAR 978,735 – ZAR 1,618,677 | ZAR 83,851 | Premium | +122% |
| Guadalajara· Mexico | MX$1,361,305 MX$1,072,543 – MX$1,773,822 | MX$100,997 | Premium | +110% |
| Bali· Indonesia | IDR 1,332,795,768 IDR 1,050,081,514 – IDR 1,736,673,274 | IDR 96,627,693 | Premium | +103% |
| Cordoba· Argentina | ARS 69,454,343 ARS 54,721,604 – ARS 90,501,114 | ARS 4,283,018 | Premium | +100% |
| Osaka· Japan | ¥11,708,018 ¥9,224,499 – ¥15,255,902 | ¥755,557 | Premium | +94% |
| Ankara· Turkey | TRY 3,649,330 TRY 2,875,229 – TRY 4,755,187 | TRY 220,176 | Premium | +92% |
| Jeddah· Saudi Arabia | SAR 267,895 SAR 211,069 – SAR 349,076 | SAR 20,092 | Premium | +91% |
| Beijing· China | CN¥497,816 CN¥392,218 – CN¥648,669 | CN¥32,773 | Premium | +83% |
| Shanghai· China | CN¥497,816 CN¥392,218 – CN¥648,669 | CN¥32,773 | Premium | +80% |
| São Paulo· Brazil | R$387,688 R$305,451 – R$505,169 | R$21,646 | Premium | +78% |
| Debrecen· Hungary | HUF 24,421,470 HUF 19,241,158 – HUF 31,821,915 | HUF 1,353,356 | Premium | +73% |
| Thessaloniki· Greece | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €4,147 | Premium | +73% |
| Cape Town· South Africa | ZAR 1,242,241 ZAR 978,735 – ZAR 1,618,677 | ZAR 83,851 | Premium | +72% |
| Seoul· South Korea | ₩111,200,445 ₩87,612,472 – ₩144,897,550 | ₩7,761,791 | Premium | +70% |
| Rio de Janeiro· Brazil | R$387,688 R$305,451 – R$505,169 | R$21,646 | Premium | +68% |
| Kuala Lumpur· Malaysia | MYR 202,185 MYR 159,297 – MYR 263,453 | MYR 13,984 | Premium | +64% |
| Athens· Greece | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €4,147 | Premium | +64% |
| Taipei· Taiwan | NT$2,282,071 NT$1,797,996 – NT$2,973,608 | NT$153,564 | Premium | +62% |
| Krakow· Poland | PLN 289,558 PLN 228,137 – PLN 377,303 | PLN 18,445 | Premium | +61% |
| Tokyo· Japan | ¥14,309,800 ¥11,274,388 – ¥18,646,102 | ¥923,459 | Premium | +60% |
| Brno· Czech Republic | CZK 1,618,617 CZK 1,275,274 – CZK 2,109,107 | CZK 107,894 | Premium | +59% |
| Busan· South Korea | ₩100,080,401 ₩78,851,225 – ₩130,407,795 | ₩6,985,612 | Premium | +58% |
| Bangkok· Thailand | THB 1,662,935 THB 1,310,192 – THB 2,166,855 | THB 124,720 | Premium | +56% |
| Istanbul· Turkey | TRY 3,649,330 TRY 2,875,229 – TRY 4,755,187 | TRY 220,176 | Premium | +55% |
| Toronto· Canada | CA$152,720 CA$120,325 – CA$198,999 | CA$9,472 | Premium | +53% |
| Prague· Czech Republic | CZK 1,618,617 CZK 1,275,274 – CZK 2,109,107 | CZK 107,894 | Premium | +49% |
| Riyadh· Saudi Arabia | SAR 267,895 SAR 211,069 – SAR 349,076 | SAR 20,092 | Premium | +47% |
| Budapest· Hungary | HUF 24,421,470 HUF 19,241,158 – HUF 31,821,915 | HUF 1,353,356 | Premium | +45% |
| Cluj-Napoca· Romania | RON 353,807 RON 278,757 – RON 461,021 | RON 16,216 | Premium | +40% |
| Tallinn· Estonia | €58,797 €46,325 – €76,615 | €3,976 | Premium | +38% |
| Bucharest· Romania | RON 353,807 RON 278,757 – RON 461,021 | RON 16,216 | Premium | +38% |
| Warsaw· Poland | PLN 289,558 PLN 228,137 – PLN 377,303 | PLN 18,445 | Premium | +38% |
| Gothenburg· Sweden | SEK 746,800 SEK 588,388 – SEK 973,102 | SEK 47,360 | Premium | +32% |
| Dubai· United Arab Emirates | AED 350,138 AED 275,866 – AED 456,241 | AED 27,719 | Premium | +31% |
| Valencia· Spain | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €4,296 | Premium | +30% |
| Paris· France | €88,196 €69,488 – €114,922 | €5,326 | Premium | +29% |
| Lyon· France | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,995 | Premium | +29% |
| Wellington· New Zealand | NZ$132,307 NZ$104,242 – NZ$172,400 | NZ$8,705 | Premium | +28% |
| Montreal· Canada | CA$105,729 CA$83,302 – CA$137,769 | CA$6,558 | Premium | +27% |
| Auckland· New Zealand | NZ$132,307 NZ$104,242 – NZ$172,400 | NZ$8,705 | Premium | +26% |
| Singapore· Singapore | SGD 137,261 SGD 108,145 – SGD 178,855 | SGD 10,752 | Premium | +26% |
| Rome· Italy | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,984 | Premium | +23% |
| Mexico City· Mexico | MX$907,537 MX$715,029 – MX$1,182,548 | MX$67,332 | Premium | +20% |
| Zurich· Switzerland | CHF 115,936 CHF 91,343 – CHF 151,068 | CHF 7,867 | Premium | +20% |
| Stockholm· Sweden | SEK 912,755 SEK 719,140 – SEK 1,189,347 | SEK 57,884 | Premium | +17% |
| Abu Dhabi· United Arab Emirates | AED 262,604 AED 206,900 – AED 342,180 | AED 20,789 | Premium | +15% |
| Sydney· Australia | A$154,555 A$121,770 – A$201,389 | A$9,669 | Premium | +14% |
| Vienna· Austria | €73,497 €57,906 – €95,768 | €4,107 | Premium | +12% |
| New York· United States | $165,000 $130,000 – $215,000 | $10,416 | Premium | +8% |
| Berlin· Germany | €80,846 €63,697 – €105,345 | €4,215 | Premium | +8% |
| Madrid· Spain | €58,797 €46,325 – €76,615 | €3,819 | Premium | +5% |
| Amsterdam· Netherlands | €95,546 €75,278 – €124,499 | €5,785 | Premium | +4% |
| Munich· Germany | €88,196 €69,488 – €114,922 | €4,599 | Premium | +3% |
| London· United Kingdom | £87,492 £68,933 – £114,005 | £5,567 | Premium | +3% |
| Florence· Italy | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,984 | Premium | +2% |
| Edinburgh· United Kingdom | £56,245 £44,314 – £73,289 | £3,579 | Premium | +1% |
| Salzburg· Austria | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,697 | Premium | +1% |
| Barcelona· Spain | €58,797 €46,325 – €76,615 | €3,819 | Premium | +1% |
| Porto· Portugal | €51,448 €40,535 – €67,038 | €3,063 | Premium | +0% |
| Antwerp· Belgium | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,311 | Comfortable | +26% |
| Melbourne· Australia | A$106,999 A$84,303 – A$139,423 | A$6,694 | Comfortable | +22% |
| Manchester· United Kingdom | £56,245 £44,314 – £73,289 | £3,579 | Comfortable | +21% |
| Vancouver· Canada | CA$105,729 CA$83,302 – CA$137,769 | CA$6,558 | Comfortable | +21% |
| Copenhagen· Denmark | DKK 659,142 DKK 519,324 – DKK 858,881 | DKK 35,160 | Comfortable | +19% |
| Lisbon· Portugal | €58,797 €46,325 – €76,615 | €3,501 | Comfortable | +18% |
| Brisbane· Australia | A$106,999 A$84,303 – A$139,423 | A$6,694 | Comfortable | +18% |
| Hamburg· Germany | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,449 | Comfortable | +17% |
| Milan· Italy | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,984 | Comfortable | +13% |
| Austin· United States | $74,250 $58,500 – $96,750 | $4,687 | Comfortable | +13% |
| Frankfurt· Germany | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,449 | Comfortable | +12% |
| Hong Kong· Hong Kong | HK$582,649 HK$459,057 – HK$759,210 | HK$38,843 | Comfortable | +11% |
| Rotterdam· Netherlands | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €4,005 | Comfortable | +11% |
| Brussels· Belgium | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,311 | Comfortable | +7% |
| Cork· Ireland | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,971 | Balanced | +20% |
| Oslo· Norway | NOK 716,372 NOK 564,414 – NOK 933,454 | NOK 42,923 | Balanced | +15% |
| Chicago· United States | $74,250 $58,500 – $96,750 | $4,687 | Balanced | +14% |
| Tel Aviv· Israel | ₪227,599 ₪179,320 – ₪296,568 | ₪14,638 | Balanced | +13% |
| Dublin· Ireland | €66,147 €52,116 – €86,192 | €3,971 | Balanced | +10% |
| Buenos Aires· Argentina | ARS 30,868,597 ARS 24,320,713 – ARS 40,222,717 | ARS 1,903,563 | Balanced | +8% |
| Seattle· United States | $74,250 $58,500 – $96,750 | $4,687 | Balanced | +5% |
| Los Angeles· United States | $74,250 $58,500 – $96,750 | $4,687 | Balanced | +3% |
| Geneva· Switzerland | CHF 61,378 CHF 48,358 – CHF 79,977 | CHF 4,165 | Balanced | +2% |
| Miami· United States | $74,250 $58,500 – $96,750 | $4,687 | Frugal | +24% |
| San Francisco· United States | $74,250 $58,500 – $96,750 | $4,687 | Out of reach | −-4% |
See the full math per city
Click any city in the table above for the full breakdown: gross-to-net derivation, monthly budget allocation, tier-by-tier salary requirements, and what the band would actually buy you locally. Or jump to the calculator for your own inputs.