Singapore
Singapore uses a progressive income tax system with relatively low rates, ranging from 0% on the first SGD 20,000 to 22% on income above SGD 320,000 (24% from YA 2024 on income above SGD 1,000,000). A personal relief of SGD 1,000 plus earned income relief of SGD 1,000 (SGD 6,000 for those 55-59, SGD 8,000 for 60+) reduces taxable income. The Central Provident Fund (CPF) is Singapore's mandatory savings scheme. For employees under 55, the total contribution rate is 37% of ordinary wages (20% employee, 17% employer), allocated to Ordinary Account (housing, education), Special Account (retirement), and MediSave Account (healthcare). CPF contributions are capped at a monthly ordinary wage ceiling of SGD 6,800. Singapore has no capital gains tax, no inheritance tax, and no tax on dividend income received by individuals. This makes it particularly attractive for investors and high-net-worth individuals. GST is 9%. Tax reliefs include CPF contributions, course fees, donations (250% deduction), and the Not Ordinarily Resident (NOR) scheme for qualifying expatriates. The corporate tax rate is 17%, with significant exemptions for startups. Singapore has an extensive network of tax treaties.
Singapore levies a low 22% top income-tax rate and a 9% consumption tax, taxing corporate profits at 17%, yet requires heavy provident-fund contributions of 20% from employees and 17% from employers. The median salary is $42,000 in Singapore dollars against an average of $55,000. No statutory minimum wage applies. Unemployment is the lowest in this dataset at 1.9%, though a Gini coefficient of 0.44 signals notable inequality. Technology leadership pays about $158,400 for chief technology officers and $126,000 for engineering managers. A cost-of-living index of 85 ranks among the highest recorded, and GDP per capita of $65,000 rises sharply to $102,000 on a purchasing-power basis. Low headline taxation paired with mandatory savings and expensive living costs defines this Southeast Asian financial hub.
Median Salary
$42,000.00
Top Tax Rate
22.0%
Cost of Living
85.00
Min. Wage
S$0.00
Salaries by Role
| Role | Median (USD) | Net (USD) | Entry | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CTO | $158,400.00 | $134,640.00 | $115,200.00 | $273,600.00 |
| Engineering Manager | $126,000.00 | $107,100.00 | $97,200.00 | $180,000.00 |
| AI/ML Researcher | $115,200.00 | $97,920.00 | $79,200.00 | $180,000.00 |
| Cloud Architect | $111,600.00 | $94,860.00 | $82,800.00 | $162,000.00 |
| Tech Lead | $111,600.00 | $94,860.00 | $82,800.00 | $158,400.00 |
| ML Engineer | $100,800.00 | $85,680.00 | $72,000.00 | $151,200.00 |
| Site Reliability Engineer | $97,200.00 | $82,620.00 | $68,400.00 | $144,000.00 |
| Product Manager | $93,600.00 | $79,560.00 | $64,800.00 | $144,000.00 |
| Security Engineer | $93,600.00 | $79,560.00 | $66,240.00 | $140,400.00 |
| Blockchain Developer | $93,600.00 | $79,560.00 | $64,800.00 | $144,000.00 |
| Data Scientist | $90,000.00 | $76,500.00 | $61,200.00 | $136,800.00 |
| DevOps Engineer | $90,000.00 | $76,500.00 | $63,360.00 | $136,800.00 |
| Software Engineer | $86,400.00 | $73,440.00 | $61,200.00 | $133,200.00 |
| Data Engineer | $86,400.00 | $73,440.00 | $59,040.00 | $133,200.00 |
| Backend Developer | $82,800.00 | $70,380.00 | $57,600.00 | $126,000.00 |
| Full Stack Developer | $80,640.00 | $68,544.00 | $56,160.00 | $122,400.00 |
| Mobile Developer | $79,200.00 | $67,320.00 | $54,000.00 | $120,960.00 |
| Frontend Developer | $75,600.00 | $64,260.00 | $51,840.00 | $115,200.00 |
| UI/UX Designer | $72,000.00 | $61,200.00 | $48,960.00 | $108,000.00 |
| QA Engineer | $61,200.00 | $52,020.00 | $41,760.00 | $90,000.00 |
Tax System
Income Tax
Progressive — up to 22.0%
Social Security (Employee)
20.0%
Corporate Tax
17.0%
VAT / GST
9.0%