Understanding the software engineer salary in India helps you negotiate better, plan your career moves, and benchmark yourself against the market. Salaries vary significantly based on experience, city, tech stack, and company type โ from service companies to product startups to MNCs.
Salary by Experience Level
For freshers (0โ1 year), the average software engineer salary in India ranges from โน3.5โ7 LPA at service companies like TCS, Wipro, and Infosys, while product companies and startups offer โน6โ12 LPA for the same experience. Mid-level engineers (2โ4 years) typically earn โน8โ18 LPA depending on their tech stack. Senior engineers (5+ years) with strong system design and leadership skills command โน18โ40+ LPA at top product companies.
- 0โ1 year (Fresher): โน3.5โ12 LPA
- 2โ4 years (Mid-level): โน8โ18 LPA
- 5โ8 years (Senior): โน18โ35 LPA
- 8+ years (Lead/Architect): โน30โ60+ LPA
Salary by City
Bangalore remains the highest-paying city for software engineers in India, followed closely by Hyderabad and Pune. Mumbai and Delhi NCR are slightly lower for pure tech roles but competitive for fintech and enterprise software. Tier-2 cities like Chennai, Ahmedabad, and Jaipur are growing fast with salaries now reaching โน10โ20 LPA for experienced engineers at local tech companies and remote-first organisations.