We recently released an updated list of the average software engineer salary offers doled out in each city. Unsurprisingly, the Bay Area unsurprisingly lead the pack, with the average software engineer salary offer clocking in at $131,266 (up 3% in Q3 compared to Q2).

Average software engineer salary offers

Here’s the full list of average salary offers made to software engineers on the Hired platform in Q3 of this year (compared to Q2):

SF Bay Area: $139,036 (up 2%) Seattle: $132,670 (up 9%) New York: $124,691 (up 2%) Boston: $119,613 (up 2%) San Diego: $117,928 (up 3%) Los Angeles: $115,433 (stable) Denver: $113,842 (up 1%) Chicago: $113,280 (up 7%) Austin: $112,618 (up 4%) Washington, DC: $111,620 (stable)

While it’s useful to compare top offers in top cities, these average offer numbers are most compelling in the context of actual living expenses. For instance, what does a salary of $115,035 actually get you in Denver? And what would you need to earn in San Francisco dollars to maintain the same standard of living? This is where it gets really interesting.

When you compare city-specific salary offer data with the actual cost of living in that city, surprising winners and losers emerge. Namely: Austin, Texas, where software engineers are offered, on average, $115,035. But if you were to attempt to relocate your Austin life to San Francisco — and wanted to maintain the same standard of living you got for $115,035 in Austin — you’d need to earn a whopping $198,353 yearly (per C2ER data provided by PayScale). That’s the highest adjusted salary comparison of any city.

Average software engineer salary offers — in SF dollars

According to PayScale, here’s what you would have to earn in San Francisco dollars to maintain the same standard of living as the average software engineer salary would afford you:

Austin: $198,353 Denver: $182,011 Seattle: $168,197 Chicago: $153,968 Los Angeles: $145,774 Boston: $140,986 San Francisco: $135,853 (baseline) San Diego: $133,201 Washington, DC: $128,853 New York: $91,967

In all seriousness, these adjusted salaries tell us a few things about the cost of living in each city, and where salaries might help you afford more in one city than other cities. (Read how C2ER’s Cost of Living Index is calculated here). Austin salaries far and away eclipse standard living expenses, but Austin engineers aren’t the only winners; Denver engineers are making out like bandits, too (and BOTH geos have bright futures; projected 7% and 6% job growth in the next 5 years, respectively).

Here’s a breakdown of average salary offers, average/median living expenses, and other metrics that might affect your quality of life, by city:

AUSTIN

Average software engineer salary offer: $115,035

Average commute time: 22

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $1,180

Median home price: $328,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 7%

BOSTON

Average software engineer salary offer: $118,789

Average commute time: 28

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $2,800

Median home price: $545,000

Projected 5-year job growth: n/a

CHICAGO

Average software engineer salary offer: $110,410

Average commute time: 34

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $1,400

Median home price: $248,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 2%

DENVER

Average software engineer salary offer: $119,214

Average commute time: 24

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $1,180

Median home price: $350,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 2%

LOS ANGELES

Average software engineer salary offer: $124,200

Average commute time: 28

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $1,950

Median home price: $587,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 2%

NEW YORK

Average software engineer salary offer: $123,415

Average commute time: 39

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $3,550

Median home price: $545,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 2%

SAN DIEGO

Average software engineer salary offer: $108,625

Average commute time: 22

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $1,500

Median home price: $495,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 3%

SAN FRANCISCO

Average software engineer salary offer: $135,853

Average commute time: 29

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $3,420

Median home price: $1,150,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 1%

SEATTLE

Average software engineer salary offer: $128,268

Average commute time: 24

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $1,750

Median home price: $537,000

Projected 5-year job growth: 3%

WASHINGTON, DC

Average software engineer salary offer: $110,389

Average commute time: 29

Average monthly rent for a 1 bedroom apartment: $2,210

Median home price: $526,100

Projected 5-year job growth: 6%

Sources: Apartment List, Global Property Guide, PayScale, CNN Money