A person working in Developers and Programmers in China typically earns around 26,900 CNY per month. Salaries range from 21,800 CNY (lowest average) to 37,100 CNY (highest average, actual maximum salary is higher).
This is the average monthly salary including housing, transport, and other benefits. Salaries vary drastically between different Developers and Programmers careers. If you are interested in the salary of a particular job, see below for salaries for specific job titles.
Job Title | Average Salary |
ABAP Developer | 24,600 CNY |
Android Developer | 28,700 CNY |
Angular Developer | 24,800 CNY |
AS400 Programmer | 28,200 CNY |
Avaloq Developer | 25,800 CNY |
BizTalk Developer | 29,900 CNY |
Build and Release Engineer | 24,800 CNY |
Business Intelligence Developer | 29,800 CNY |
Business Objects Developer | 25,900 CNY |
C# Developer | 30,900 CNY |
C++ Developer | 29,400 CNY |
CMS Developer | 22,700 CNY |
Curam Developer | 24,500 CNY |
Developer / Programmer | 28,600 CNY |
Flash Developer | 25,600 CNY |
Front End Developer | 24,400 CNY |
Full Stack Developer | 29,500 CNY |
Game Developer | 25,500 CNY |
GIS Developer | 27,600 CNY |
Graphical User Interface ( GUI ) Programmer | 24,600 CNY |
Graphics Programmer | 25,000 CNY |
Imaging Programmer | 25,700 CNY |
IOS Developer | 30,100 CNY |
Java Developer | 30,000 CNY |
Javascript Developer | 27,700 CNY |
Lead Developer | 32,600 CNY |
Mobile Developer | 29,000 CNY |
Multimedia Developer | 25,400 CNY |
Nodejs Developer | 28,800 CNY |
Oracle Developer | 30,600 CNY |
Perl Developer | 23,300 CNY |
PHP Developer | 25,500 CNY |
Python Developer | 28,700 CNY |
Remedy Developer | 23,700 CNY |
Ruby Developer | 25,200 CNY |
Salesforce Developer | 22,500 CNY |
SAS Programmer | 26,700 CNY |
Sharepoint Developer | 31,100 CNY |
Software Development Manager | 36,600 CNY |
Software QA Engineer | 26,600 CNY |
Software Test Engineer | 23,700 CNY |
Teradata Developer | 23,200 CNY |
TIBCO Developer | 24,000 CNY |
User Experience Designer | 24,900 CNY |
VB Developer | 20,900 CNY |
VB.NET Developer | 28,900 CNY |
![]() 21,800 CNY |
![]() 26,400 CNY |
![]() 37,100 CNY |
Developers and Programmers salaries in China range from 21,800 CNY per month (starting average salary) to 37,100 CNY per month (maximum average salary, actual maximum is higher). This is not the minimum wage as per the law, only the lowest reported number in the salary survey that had thousands of participants and professionals from all over the country.
The median salary is 26,400 CNY per month, which means that half (50%) of people working in Developers and Programmers are earning less than 26,400 CNY while the other half are earning more than 26,400 CNY. The median represents the middle salary value. Generally speaking, you would want to be on the right side of the graph with the group earning more than the median salary.
Closely related to the median are two values: the 25th and the 75th percentiles. Reading from the salary distribution diagram, 25% of people working in Developers and Programmers are earning less than 24,700 CNY while 75% of them are earning more than 24,700 CNY. Also from the diagram, 75% of people working in Developers and Programmers are earning less than 28,200 CNY while 25% are earning more than 28,200 CNY.
We grouped the most common and recurring salaries into brackets to give more insight into what salary to expect. This method is more accurate than just the average salary and gives more insights on how salaries are actually distributed. Around 65% of all reported figures are in the range 23,200 CNY to 26,600 CNY. Approximatly 20% fall under the 23,200 CNY cap. Ten percent of wages are from 26,600 CNY to 28,200 CNY. Only 5% of people grossed 28,200 CNY or more.
The experience level is the most important factor in determining the salary. Naturally the more years of experience the higher the wage.
Generally speaking, employees having experience from two to five years earn on average 32% more than freshers and juniors across all industries and disciplines.
Professionals with experience of more than five years tend to earn on average 36% more than those with five years or less of work experience.
As you hit the ten years mark, the salary increases by 21% and an additional 14% for those who have crossed the 15 years mark.
Those figures are presented as guidelines only. The numbers become more significant if you consider one job title at a time.
Though gender should not have an effect on pay, in reality, it does. So who gets paid more: men or women? Male employees in China who work in Developers and Programmers earn 9% more than their female counterparts on average.
Male | 27,800 CNY | |
Female | -8% | 25,600 CNY |
Developers and Programmers professionals in China are likely to observe a salary increase of approximately 10% every 16 months. The national average annual increment for all professions combined is 9% granted to employees every 15 months.
The term 'Annual Salary Increase' usually refers to the increase in 12 calendar month period, but because it is rarely that people get their salaries reviewed exactly on the one year mark, it is more meaningful to know the frequency and the rate at the time of the increase.
The annual salary Increase in a calendar year (12 months) can be easily calculated as follows: Annual Salary Increase = Increase Rate x 12 ÷ Increase Frequency
Banking | 8% | |
Energy | 7% | |
Information Technology | 6% | |
Healthcare | 5% | |
Travel | 4% | |
Construction | 3% | |
Education | 2% |
Listed above are the average annual increase rates for each industry in China for the year 2022. Companies within thriving industries tend to provide higher and more frequent raises. Exceptions do exist, but generally speaking, the situation of any company is closely related to the economic situation in the country or region. These figures tend to change frequently.
Not all compensation increases are reflected directly in the salary. Some companies offer upgraded packages to their staff instead of cash money. The figures displayed here account only for direct increments to the base salary.
Developers and Programmers is considered to be a moderate bonus-based field. The people who get the highest bonuses are usually somehow involved in the revenue generation cycle.
45% of surveyed staff in Developers and Programmers reported that they haven't received any bonuses or incentives in the previous year while 55% said that they received at least one form of monetary bonus.
Those who got bonuses reported rates ranging from 3% to 6% of their annual salary.
Received Bonus | 55% | |
No Bonus | 45% |
The most standard form of bonus where the employee is awarded based on their exceptional performance.
Company Performance BonusesOccasionally, some companies like to celebrate excess earnings and profits with their staff collectively in the form of bonuses that are granted to everyone. The amount of the bonus will probably be different from person to person depending on their role within the organization.
Goal-Based BonusesGranted upon achieving an important goal or milestone.
Holiday / End of Year BonusesThese types of bonuses are given without a reason and usually resemble an appreciation token.
People tend to confuse bonuses with commissions. A commission is a prefixed rate at which someone gets paid for items sold or deals completed while a bonus is in most cases arbitrary and unplanned.
The main two types of jobs | |
Revenue Generators | Supporting Cast |
Employees that are directly involved in generating revenue or profit for the organization. Their field of expertise usually matches the type of business. | Employees that support and facilitate the work of revenue generators. Their expertise is usually different from that of the core business operations. |
Example: | Example: |
Revenue generators usually get more and higher bonuses, higher salaries, and more frequent salary increments. The reason is quite simple: it is easier to quantify your value to the company in monetary terms when you participate in revenue generation.
Top management personnel and senior employees naturally exhibit higher bonus rates and frequencies than juniors. This is very predictable due to the inherent responsibilities of being higher in the hierarchy. People in top positions can easily get double or triple bonus rates than employees down the pyramid.
Average Salary 2019 | 23,800 CNY | |
Average Salary 2020 | +4% | 24,700 CNY |
Average Salary 2021 | +3% | 25,400 CNY |
Average Salary 2022 | +2% | 25,900 CNY |
Developers and Programmers salaries in China are rising in the year 2023 based on recent submitted salaries and reports. As displayed in the chart, salaries in 2022 are 2% higher than those of 2021. The trend suggests a slow yet continuous increase in pay in 2024 and future years. These numbers may vary from industry to another.
The hourly wage is the salary paid in one worked hour. Usually jobs are classified into two categories: salaried jobs and hourly jobs. Salaried jobs pay a fix amount regardless of the hours worked. Hourly jobs pay per worked hour. To convert salary into hourly wage the above formula is used (assuming 5 working days in a week and 8 working hours per day which is the standard for most jobs). The hourly wage calculation may differ slightly depending on the worked hours per week and the annual vacation allowance. The figures mentioned above are good approximations and are considered to be the standard. One major difference between salaried employees and hourly paid employees is overtime eligibility. Salaried employees are usually exempt from overtime as opposed to hourly paid staff.
This minimum pay rate per hour for a person in China is 130 CNY. This is the minimum as per the gathered data in the salary survey not the minimum hourly rate mandated by law.
The average salary for Developers and Programmers is 9% less than that of Information Technology. Also, Information Technology salaries are 0% more than those of All Jobs.
City | Average Salary |
Beijing | 30,800 CNY |
Changchun | 25,600 CNY |
Changsha | 24,400 CNY |
Chengdu | 28,100 CNY |
Chongqing | 31,100 CNY |
Dalian | 25,400 CNY |
Dongguan | 24,200 CNY |
Foshan | 23,900 CNY |
Fuzhou | 25,600 CNY |
Guangzhou | 29,700 CNY |
Hangzhou | 29,800 CNY |
Harbin | 28,500 CNY |
Jinan | 29,800 CNY |
Kunming | 24,200 CNY |
Nanjing | 26,900 CNY |
Qingdao | 27,700 CNY |
Quanzhou | 25,200 CNY |
Shanghai | 29,100 CNY |
Shantou | 26,200 CNY |
Shenyang | 27,800 CNY |
Shenzhen | 26,500 CNY |
Suzhou | 25,900 CNY |
Tianjin | 28,200 CNY |
Wenzhou | 26,500 CNY |
Wuhan | 30,700 CNY |
Wuxi | 23,100 CNY |
Xi an | 29,400 CNY |
Xiamen | 24,700 CNY |
Zhengzhou | 23,800 CNY |
State | Average Salary |
Anhui | 27,700 CNY |
Beijing | 22,900 CNY |
Chongqing | 24,500 CNY |
Fujian | 26,000 CNY |
Gansu | 24,000 CNY |
Guangdong | 29,700 CNY |
Guangxi | 27,100 CNY |
Guizhou | 24,800 CNY |
Hainan | 22,500 CNY |
Hebei | 28,500 CNY |
Heilongjiang | 25,400 CNY |
Henan | 29,400 CNY |
Hubei | 27,800 CNY |
Hunan | 28,400 CNY |
Jiangsu | 28,900 CNY |
Jiangxi | 26,900 CNY |
Jilin | 24,600 CNY |
Liaoning | 26,700 CNY |
Nei Monggol | 24,100 CNY |
Ningxia | 22,500 CNY |
Qinghai | 22,300 CNY |
Shaanxi | 26,000 CNY |
Shandong | 30,000 CNY |
Shanghai | 23,900 CNY |
Shanxi | 25,500 CNY |
Sichuan | 29,500 CNY |
Tianjin | 23,200 CNY |
Xinjiang Uygur | 23,800 CNY |
Xizang [Tibet] | 22,200 CNY |
Yunnan | 27,500 CNY |
Zhejiang | 28,100 CNY |
Where can you get paid more, working for a private company or for the government? Public sector employees in China earn 6% more than their private sector counterparts on average across all sectors.
Private Sector | 28,500 CNY | |
Public Sector | +6% | 30,100 CNY |
A good and competitive compensation would range anywhere between 26,400 CNY and 28,200 CNY. This is a very rough estimate and your experience and education will play a very huge part into your final earnings.
All salary and compensation figures displayed here are gross salary figures, that is the salary before tax deductions. Because taxes may differ across sectors and locations, it is difficult to accurately calculate the net salart after tax for every career.
The base salary for Developers and Programmers in China is ranges from 24,700 CNY to 28,200 CNY. The base salary depends on many factors including experience and education. It is not easy to provide a figure with very little information, so take this range in a grain of salt.
Both are indicators. If your salary is higher than both of the average and the median then you are doing very well. If your salary is lower than both, then many people are earning more than you and there is plenty of room for improvement. If your wage is between the average and the median, then things can be a bit complicated. We wrote a guide to explain all about the different scenarios. How to compare your salary