What Canadian tech roles pay in 2026, from public data only. Two kinds of number, never mixed: posted ranges from job postings, and government survey figures.
Download the data (CSV, JSON). Free under CC BY 4.0. Credit Phil Mosher, baselinetalent.xyz. How the numbers are built.
Key findings
A senior software engineer in Canada has a posted range of $138K to $185K, median $166K in base salary in 2026, from public pay-transparency postings.
- Senior software engineer, Toronto: $139K to $185K, median $166K
- Senior software engineer, Vancouver: $144K to $209K, median $169K
- Senior software engineer, remote in Canada: $141K to $188K, median $173K
- Winnipeg, Calgary and Montreal: not enough posted ranges. Their provinces don't require pay in postings.
Salary ranges by role and level
Every range below is 2026 posted base salary in Canadian dollars, across all Canadian postings, with the sample rules under the table.
| Role | Junior (0 to 1 years) | Intermediate (2 to 4 years) | Senior (5 to 7 years) | Staff / Lead (8+ years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | $87K to $119K, median $95K, n=16 | $106K to $153K, median $120K, n=96 | $138K to $185K, median $166K, n=172 | $165K to $227K, median $202K, n=103 |
| Data Engineer | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | $111K to $167K, median $123K, n=10 | $129K to $178K, median $144K, n=13 | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=9) |
| DevOps / SRE / Platform Engineer | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=2) | $116K to $136K, median $121K, n=15 | $117K to $163K, median $140K, n=27 | $148K to $172K, median $165K, n=12 |
| AI / ML Engineer | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | $115K to $187K, median $158K, n=23 | $129K to $185K, median $162K, n=39 | $159K to $202K, median $199K, n=23 |
| Cybersecurity Engineer | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=1) | $114K to $155K, median $140K, n=18 | $132K to $187K, median $154K, n=26 | $144K to $188K, median $168K, n=17 |
| Tech Lead | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | $120K to $205K, median $160K, n=10 | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=2) |
| Engineering Manager | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | $170K to $213K, median $194K, n=48 | $196K to $245K, median $230K. Higher than the level above. Small sample, n=12 from 12 employers. | $164K to $218K, median $192K, n=13 |
| Product Manager | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=4) | $123K to $147K, median $130K, n=16 | $131K to $170K, median $155K, n=43 | $168K to $212K, median $193K, n=42 |
| Product Designer | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=5) | $148K to $175K, median $160K, n=12 | $158K to $188K, median $176K, n=10 |
Low to high is the middle half of employers' posted midpoints (25th to 75th percentile). n is the number of postings. A cell needs 10 or more postings from 5 or more employers. Data as of October 29, 2026.
Cite: Phil Mosher, Canadian tech salary data, baselinetalent.xyz, data as of October 29, 2026. CC BY 4.0.
No posted ranges yet for UX Designer / Researcher.
Where the government figure disagrees
- Senior and staff or lead posted medians sit 25% to 107% above the government survey figure (Software Engineer, Data Engineer, DevOps / SRE / Platform Engineer, AI / ML Engineer, Cybersecurity Engineer, Tech Lead, Engineering Manager). That's expected, because the survey covers every experience level.
- Many of these postings come from foreign-headquartered multinationals, which pay above local medians: Data Engineer, intermediate, 29% above (50% of postings). Cybersecurity Engineer, intermediate, 40% above (44% of postings). Engineering Manager, intermediate, 52% above (42% of postings).
- The government figures cover every employer, including in-house IT at non-tech firms, and lag: AI / ML Engineer, intermediate, 65% above.
- NOC 52120 lumps UX and product designers in with graphic designers and illustrators, who earn far less, so the benchmark is a poor match: Product Designer, senior, 146% above. Product Designer, staff / lead, 170% above.
Salary by city
Toronto and Vancouver have the most posted ranges in 2026: $139K to $185K, median $166K in Toronto and $144K to $209K, median $169K in Vancouver for a senior software engineer.
- Toronto tech salaries: every role with enough posted ranges, plus the cost to hire
- Vancouver tech salaries
- Montreal, Calgary and Winnipeg: government survey figures, because posted ranges are thin
Remote in Canada
Jobs posted as remote anywhere in Canada pay about the same as Toronto jobs in 2026. Many of those postings come from U.S.-headquartered employers.
| Role | Junior (0 to 1 years) | Intermediate (2 to 4 years) | Senior (5 to 7 years) | Staff / Lead (8+ years) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software Engineer | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=3) | $108K to $148K, median $131K, n=25 | $141K to $188K, median $173K, n=57 | $181K to $227K, median $208K, n=25 |
| Engineering Manager | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | $178K to $215K, median $207K, n=16 | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=5) | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=2) |
| Product Manager | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=0) | Not enough posted ranges yet (n=1) | $158K to $178K, median $166K, n=13 | $175K to $225K, median $200K, n=11 |
Low to high is the middle half of employers' posted midpoints (25th to 75th percentile). n is the number of postings. A cell needs 10 or more postings from 5 or more employers. Data as of October 29, 2026.
Cite: Phil Mosher, Canadian tech salary data, baselinetalent.xyz, data as of October 29, 2026. CC BY 4.0.
No posted ranges yet for Data Engineer, DevOps / SRE / Platform Engineer, AI / ML Engineer, Cybersecurity Engineer, Tech Lead, Product Designer, UX Designer / Researcher.
Where the government figure disagrees
- Senior and staff or lead posted medians sit 70% to 105% above the government survey figure (Software Engineer). That's expected, because the survey covers every experience level.
- Many of these postings come from foreign-headquartered multinationals, which pay above local medians: Software Engineer, intermediate, 30% above (56% of postings).
- The government figures cover every employer, including in-house IT at non-tech firms, and lag: Engineering Manager, intermediate, 62% above.
Government survey figures, Canada
The government figures for Canada cover every level and every employer, so they sit below a senior posted range. Use them as a check on the posted ranges.
| Occupation | Job Bank median | StatCan average offered wage |
|---|---|---|
| Computer and information systems managers (NOC 20012) | $139K | $127K |
| Data scientists (NOC 21211) | $96K | $100K |
| Cybersecurity specialists (NOC 21220) | $103K | $100K |
| Software engineers and designers (NOC 21231) | $117K | $112K |
| Information systems testing technicians (NOC 22222) | $73K | $70K |
| Graphic designers and illustrators (NOC 52120) | $65K | $80K |
Job Bank (ESDC) median wages by occupation and economic region, reference period 2023-2024, times 2,080 hours. Statistics Canada Table 14-10-0444-01, average offered hourly wage on job vacancies, 2025-07 to 2026-04 (4 quarters), times 2,080 hours. Both cover every experience level and every employer. They are not job postings and are never mixed with the posted ranges.
Cite: Phil Mosher, Canadian tech salary data, baselinetalent.xyz, data as of October 29, 2026. CC BY 4.0.
Methodology
Every number on this page comes from public data, picked by written rules, with a minimum sample of 10 postings from 5 employers per cell.
How every number here is built, tested and checked against government data: how the salary data is built.
These ranges are guidelines, not guarantees. Your pay depends on the company, the level they hire you at and how the conversation goes.
Questions people ask
What does a senior software engineer make in Canada?
The posted range for a senior software engineer across Canada is $138K to $185K, median $166K in base salary in 2026, from 172 public job postings.
Why do some cities have no posted ranges?
Ontario and B.C. require employers to post a pay range. Quebec, Alberta and Manitoba don't, so few postings there carry one. Those city pages show government survey figures instead, labelled as survey data.
Is this base salary or total compensation?
Base salary only. Bonus, equity and benefits aren't in the posted ranges or the survey figures.
Can I use this data?
Yes. It's free under CC BY 4.0. Credit Phil Mosher, baselinetalent.xyz, with a link. The CSV and JSON downloads are on the method page.
Sources
- Statistics Canada. Table 14-10-0444-01 Job vacancies and average offered hourly wage by occupation (unit group), quarterly, unadjusted for seasonality Statistics Canada, released 2026-09-15. Reference 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2
- Ontario: job posting pay transparency (Employment Standards Act, in force 2026-01-01) Government of Ontario, 2026-01-01
- B.C. guidance on wage or salary information on job postings Province of British Columbia, 2023-11-01 (in force)
- Public job postings that state a pay range, from employers' own job boards (909 postings from 123 employers). Every posting is listed in the data download. Phil Mosher, baselinetalent.xyz, as of 2026-10-29
- Job Bank wages, NOC 21211, Canada Job Bank (ESDC) / Statistics Canada, updated November 19, 2025. Reference period 2023-2024
- Job Bank wages, NOC 21231, Canada Job Bank (ESDC) / Statistics Canada, updated November 19, 2025. Reference period 2023-2024
- Job Bank wages, NOC 21220, Canada Job Bank (ESDC) / Statistics Canada, updated November 19, 2025. Reference period 2023-2024
- Job Bank wages, NOC 20012, Canada Job Bank (ESDC) / Statistics Canada, updated November 19, 2025. Reference period 2023-2024
- Job Bank wages, NOC 52120, Canada Job Bank (ESDC) / Statistics Canada, updated November 19, 2025. Reference period 2023-2024
- Job Bank wages, NOC 22222, Canada Job Bank (ESDC) / Statistics Canada, updated November 19, 2025. Reference period 2023-2024