Top 10 best cities in the world for software engineers
Here are the top 10 best cities in the world for software engineers. The number of software engineers grows year by year and so does the demand for their skills and knowledge. To be a software engineer today means having a well-paid job, working on interesting projects, and choosing among career opportunities other people can hardly dream about.
If you’re particularly skilled at what you do, then you won’t have any trouble securing a high-paying job that’s exciting and offers room for upward mobility. Put simply, it’s a great time to be in the industry.
What are software developers looking for?
These are the top four preferences software developers care about when looking for their best place to live and work:
- Low pollution
- Cost of living
- Startup scene (composed of a number of startups, increase in the number of startups, startup jobs, city followers (on AngelList), investors, and jobs per startup)
- Rent cost
We see these layers a lot – the general safe living environment and low living costs are important to many people regardless of their profession. To make the list more relatable for developers, we went ahead and added four more specifically tech related layers into the mix:
- Internet speed
- University quality
- Number of tech events per year
- Increase in startup count
Let’s take a brief look at the TOP 10 best cities in the world for the software engineers and what makes them so ideal for those in the tech industry.
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1. San Francisco, California
San Francisco’s tech credentials are almost too numerous to mention: Twitter, Airbnb, and Uber are just a fraction of the city’s success stories. A wide array of talent and a rich business ecosystem makes San Francisco a startup magnet.”
It is the undeniable epicenter of all things tech, from its gigantic startup culture to its venture capital scene to its population of designers and programmers.
- City population: 865,000
- City GDP per capita: $97,856
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $71
- Prime residential rent per week: $1,484
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.75
- Startups per 1,000 people: 26.3
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 33 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $2.25
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 71 million
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2. Austin
If you’re strictly looking at growth in the tech industry, it is hard to argue against a city like Austin, Texas. Companies like IBM, Dell, Facebook, Google, and eBay all have a presence there, with high demand for Java developers, technical writers, software engineers, and network administrators.
Austin has a lot going for it. Not only does it have a burgeoning tech scene, but it’s also a huge cultural melting pot for music, food, art, and entertainment. In other words, the work-life balance there is superb.
- City population: 932,000
- City GDP per capita: $62,376
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $54
- Prime residential rent per week: $1,002
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.50
- Startups per 1,000 people: 2.7
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 16 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $1.75
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 11.9 million
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3. New York City
The New York metropolitan area is one of the most populated cities in the world. New York City itself is an international center for numerous industries including finance, theater, television, film, arts, and technology.
New York is a special kind of tech heavyweight. It is both extremely dated in its infrastructure, but at the same time, unbelievably progressive.
- City population: 8.5 million
- City GDP per capita: $83,470
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $81
- Prime residential rent per week: $1,482
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.60
- Startups per 1,000 people: 1.8
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 29 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local trans pot: $2.75
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 126.7 million
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4. Toronto, Canada
Toronto is a multicultural city in every sense of the word. Nearly half of its population are immigrants from virtually every corner of the globe. The city is internationally known as a center of finance and business as well as the film and television industry.
Some people call Toronto “Silicon Valley North,” but that’s doing a disservice to this unique city. Toronto isn’t trying to be like anywhere else, especially Silicon Valley. It wants to be known as its own tech hub.
- City population: 2.8 million
- City GDP per capita: $44,907
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $25
- Prime residential rent per week: $968
- Cost of a Flat White: $2.48
- Startups per 1,000 people: 1.1
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 40 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $2.29
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 43.4 million
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5. London, England
London, United Kingdom, is among the best cities with a vibrant startup scene. According to our city rankings, it’s also a generally great place to live with high ratings in venture capital, travel connectivity and business freedom. Some estimates say there will be 11,000 new tech jobs added within the next decade.
- City population: 8.7 million
- City GDP per capita: $63,739
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $94
- Prime residential rent per week: $1,981
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.32
- Startups per 1,000 people: 1
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 29 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $3.32
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 153.5 million
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6. Amsterdam, The Netherlands
Amsterdam’s combination of financial technology, energy efficiency, and startup culture make it a powerhouse in Europe, despite being much smaller than its neighbors.
- City population: 840,000
- City GDP per capita: $69,752
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $34
- Prime residential rent per week: $1,315
- Cost of a Flat White: $2.47
- Startups per 1,000 people: 1.3
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 29 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $3.20
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 58.3 million
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7. Seattle, US
Seattle is quickly making a name for itself in the global tech scene. It’s no longer seen as just an up and coming tech hub. It’s been well solidified as one of the top tech destinations in the world for a few years now.
Not only is Seattle home to Microsoft and Amazon, but lots of smaller companies like Zillow and Expedia call the area home as well. A lot of the Silicon Valley tech companies like Google and Twitter also have major presences in the area.
While the cost of living is higher in Seattle than some other places, the salaries tend to fall on the higher end of the spectrum as well. It’s a fantastic place to work, play, and live.
- City population: 684,000
- City GDP per capita: $87,734
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $41
- Prime residential rent per week: $1,316
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.49
- Startups per 1,000 people: 3.1
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 41 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $2.74
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 42.3 million
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8. Berlin, Germany
Berlin could easily be called Europe’s startup capital. Some of the biggest benefits of working in Berlin include the low cost of living, small average commute times, and access to affordable housing. If you’ve never been, you should definitely consider visiting sometime soon.
- City population: 3.6 million
- City GDP per capita: $37,328
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $25
- Prime residential rent per week: $503
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.30
- Startups per 1,000 people: 0.5
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 23 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $2.98
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 29.5 million
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9. Boston, US
A huge number of exciting technologies have been coming out of Boston over the last several years from STEM elites like MIT, Harvard, Tufts, and Northeastern — many of them in the biotech and robotic fields.
- City population: 667,000
- City GDP per capita: $87,308
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $72
- Prime residential rent per week per sq ft: $1,400
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.37
- Startups per 1,000 people: 5.8
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 35 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $2.50
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 39.1 million
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10. Singapore
Aside from being a giant, rain-absorbing sponge, Singapore boasts an extremely high number of programmers and venture capitalists. The city-state is constantly introducing new infrastructure and high-tech high-rises, including one with an entire forest in the atrium.
- City population: 3.9 million
- City GDP per capita: $52,965
- Established tech firm office rent per week per sq ft: $115
- Prime residential rent per week: $1,450
- Cost of a Flat White: $3.67
- Startups per 1,000 people: 0.5
- Average commute by employees working in key tech districts: 35 minutes
- Cost of a single journey on local transport: $1.33
- Annual passengers across the city’s airports: 55.4 million
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