Technology · 24 Cities Ranked

Highest Paying Cities for Software Quality Assurance Tester (2024)

The median Software Quality Assurance Tester salary is $165,700 in San Jose, CA, the highest-paying city for this role. After adjusting for cost of living, Charlotte, NC offers the best purchasing power at $107,973 adjusted.

$110,739

National Median

$165,700

Highest City

$88,530

Lowest City

Cities Ranked

Ranked by Median Salary

Rank	City	Median	Range (10th–90th)	COL Index	COL-Adjusted	Jobs
1	San Jose, CA	$165,700	$82,150 – $223,560	195.8	$84,627	7,590
2	San Francisco, CA	$139,580	$82,100 – $198,320	179.6	$77,717	7,910
3	Seattle, WA	$131,640	$75,280 – $193,610	149.4	$88,112	7,300
4	Washington, DC	$126,430	$78,000 – $175,670	152.8	$82,742	8,740
5	Boston, MA	$125,440	$69,200 – $164,950	152.1	$82,472	5,700
6	New York, NY	$121,520	$68,400 – $179,990	187.2	$64,915	13,140
7	Denver, CO	$118,090	$69,230 – $168,450	112.8	$104,690	3,800
8	San Diego, CA	$109,590	$64,000 – $159,780	160.2	$68,408	2,260
9	Los Angeles, CA	$106,400	$48,450 – $163,870	166	$64,096	7,560
10	Raleigh, NC	$106,290	$63,620 – $166,790	99.8	$106,503	1,810
11	Minneapolis, MN	$105,930	$72,800 – $140,410	106.2	$99,746	2,430
12	Charlotte, NC	$104,410	$61,490 – $131,960	96.7	$107,973	2,550
13	Phoenix, AZ	$103,890	$61,310 – $145,020	100.7	$103,168	3,100
14	Philadelphia, PA	$103,640	$61,880 – $147,350	118.4	$87,534	3,280
15	Portland, OR	$103,350	$47,220 – $189,990	130.1	$79,439	2,560
16	Dallas, TX	$103,010	$66,610 – $160,690	104.1	$98,953	8,690
17	Austin, TX	$102,990	$62,800 – $153,750	103	$99,990	3,110
18	Chicago, IL	$102,360	$64,010 – $138,630	107.3	$95,396	5,410
19	Detroit, MI	$102,080	$62,100 – $134,830	95.1	$107,340	2,220
20	Miami, FL	$100,480	$54,890 – $143,990	123.1	$81,625	2,160
21	Houston, TX	$99,800	$61,310 – $148,740	96.5	$103,420	2,710
22	Atlanta, GA	$94,120	$62,400 – $135,650	99.2	$94,879	6,270
23	Nashville, TN	$92,470	$63,920 – $128,440	100.3	$92,193	1,330
24	Tampa, FL	$88,530	$62,150 – $129,900	99.6	$88,886	3,020

Ranked by Purchasing Power (COL-Adjusted)

Cost-of-living adjusted salaries show where your Software Quality Assurance Tester paycheck goes furthest. A lower COL index means your dollars stretch further.

Rank	City	COL-Adjusted	Raw Median	COL Index
1	Charlotte, NC	$107,973	$104,410	96.7
2	Detroit, MI	$107,340	$102,080	95.1
3	Raleigh, NC	$106,503	$106,290	99.8
4	Denver, CO	$104,690	$118,090	112.8
5	Houston, TX	$103,420	$99,800	96.5
6	Phoenix, AZ	$103,168	$103,890	100.7
7	Austin, TX	$99,990	$102,990	103
8	Minneapolis, MN	$99,746	$105,930	106.2
9	Dallas, TX	$98,953	$103,010	104.1
10	Chicago, IL	$95,396	$102,360	107.3
11	Atlanta, GA	$94,879	$94,120	99.2
12	Nashville, TN	$92,193	$92,470	100.3
13	Tampa, FL	$88,886	$88,530	99.6
14	Seattle, WA	$88,112	$131,640	149.4
15	Philadelphia, PA	$87,534	$103,640	118.4
16	San Jose, CA	$84,627	$165,700	195.8
17	Washington, DC	$82,742	$126,430	152.8
18	Boston, MA	$82,472	$125,440	152.1
19	Miami, FL	$81,625	$100,480	123.1
20	Portland, OR	$79,439	$103,350	130.1
21	San Francisco, CA	$77,717	$139,580	179.6
22	San Diego, CA	$68,408	$109,590	160.2
23	New York, NY	$64,915	$121,520	187.2
24	Los Angeles, CA	$64,096	$106,400	166

Frequently Asked Questions

San Jose, CA pays the highest median Software Quality Assurance Tester salary at $165,700. However, after cost-of-living adjustment, Charlotte, NC offers the most purchasing power at $107,973 adjusted.

The national median Software Quality Assurance Tester salary is $110,739 based on BLS data. Salaries range from $88,530 to $165,700 depending on city.

Not necessarily. A city with higher nominal pay may have a higher cost of living that offsets the salary difference. Compare the "COL-Adjusted" column in both tables above — cities with lower costs of living often offer better real purchasing power.