Software engineer salary in Canada (2026)
What software engineers (NOC 21231, software engineers and designers) earn across Canada and by province — low, median and high hourly wages with annual equivalents.
National median
$51.00/hr
≈ $106,080/yr
Highest median
Ontario
$53.85/hr · $112,008/yr
Lowest median
New Brunswick
$38.46/hr · $79,997/yr
Software engineer pay at a glance
Nationally, Job Bank reports a median of $51.00 an hour for NOC 21231 — about $106,080 a year. The national low is $32.00 ($66,560) and the high is $76.92 ($159,994).
Of the 8 provinces with data, Ontario has the highest median and New Brunswick the lowest — a gap of $15.39 an hour, or about $32,011 a year.
Software engineer salary by province
Hourly wages with annual equivalents, sorted by median (highest first).
| Region | Low | Median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Canada (national) | $32.00/hr$66,560/yr | $51.00/hr$106,080/yr | $76.92/hr$159,994/yr |
| Ontario | $33.50/hr$69,680/yr | $53.85/hr$112,008/yr | $80.77/hr$168,002/yr |
| British Columbia | $32.00/hr$66,560/yr | $52.88/hr$109,990/yr | $80.77/hr$168,002/yr |
| Alberta | $32.21/hr$66,997/yr | $50.00/hr$104,000/yr | $75.00/hr$156,000/yr |
| Quebec | $28.85/hr$60,008/yr | $45.00/hr$93,600/yr | $67.31/hr$140,005/yr |
| Saskatchewan | $28.00/hr$58,240/yr | $42.50/hr$88,400/yr | $60.10/hr$125,008/yr |
| Nova Scotia | $26.00/hr$54,080/yr | $42.31/hr$88,005/yr | $62.50/hr$130,000/yr |
| Manitoba | $26.44/hr$54,995/yr | $41.00/hr$85,280/yr | $62.50/hr$130,000/yr |
| New Brunswick | $24.00/hr$49,920/yr | $38.46/hr$79,997/yr | $56.25/hr$117,000/yr |
How annual figures are calculated: hourly wage × 2,080 hours (40 hours a week × 52 weeks), rounded to the dollar. They are gross (before tax) and assume full-time, year-round work. Provinces and territories not shown have no figures in this dataset.
Take-home pay of the median software engineer salary in each province
Each provincial median annual wage after 2026 federal and provincial tax, CPP/QPP and EI — an estimate using standard employee credits (basic personal amount, CPP/QPP, EI and the Canada employment amount).
| Province | Median annual | After tax | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ontario | $112,008 | $82,345 | $6,862 |
| British Columbia | $109,990 | $82,480 | $6,873 |
| Alberta | $104,000 | $77,203 | $6,434 |
| Quebec | $93,600 | $65,193 | $5,433 |
| Saskatchewan | $88,400 | $64,422 | $5,369 |
| Nova Scotia | $88,005 | $61,326 | $5,111 |
| Manitoba | $85,280 | $61,630 | $5,136 |
| New Brunswick | $79,997 | $58,219 | $4,852 |
Turn these numbers into a plan
- Convert an offer between hourly, monthly and annual pay with the salary converter.
- Working in Ontario? Estimate what you keep after tax with the Ontario take-home pay calculator.
- Compare against the floor with minimum wage by province.
- Duties, requirements and TEER for this occupation: NOC 21231 — Software engineers and designers.
Source: Job Bank Canada wage data (refreshed April 2026), Open Government Licence – Canada. Occupation codes: NOC 2021, Statistics Canada. Wages vary by city, employer, experience and union status.