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Software Engineer
Melbourne
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Software Engineer Salary and Equity in Melbourne 2026

How much does a Software Engineer expect to make at Melbourne-based startups? The average expected salary for Software Engineers in Melbourne-based startups is 110k per year, with a range from 80k to 191k. These amounts were gathered from Wellfound self-reported data and represent the median salary range. The salary range for Software Engineers in Melbourne startups varies depending on factors such as industry, experience, skills, and startup stage.

109.7k

Average Salary

5 years

Average years of experience

Hiring data hero image

Salary

By quarter
The average salary for a Software Engineer in Melbourne is $109,667, which is 3.5% higher than the average Melbourne startup salary of$105,917. Software Engineer salaries in Melbourne are based on exclusive Wellfound data. All data is updated on a weekly basis. Factors that may influence salary include: years of experience, title, size of company, skill-set, and industry.

Top of market

$155,583/yr

Range $98k - $191k

Average

$109,667/yr

Range $80k - $141k

Below Average

$97,417/yr

Range $80k - $114k


Industries

The highest average salary a Software Engineer in Melbourne can get in Aerospace, that is $155,500. This pay is 19.7% higher than the average Software Engineer salary in Melbourne, which is $129,950. The highest-paying industries in 2023 are: Aerospace (avg $155,500 per year), Semiconductor Manufacturing Equipment (avg $145,500 per year), Defense (avg $142,500 per year).

Tech Stack

The highest average salary a Software Engineer in Melbourne can get with SQL, that is $202,500. This pay is 91.2% higher than the average salary in Melbourne startups, which is $105,917. Salary range for specific skills will vary based on the supply and demand in the current market.
The top-paying Software Engineer skills in Melbourne of 2026 are:
  • 1. SQL

    $202.5k

  • 2. MongoDB

    $202.5k

  • 3. Azure

    $153k

  • 4. AWS

    $153k

  • 5. Javascript

    $142.5k

  • 6. Java

    $126k

  • 7. Python

    $125.5k

  • 8. Docker

    $118.5k

  • 9. Kubernetes

    $118.5k

  • 10. C#

    $113k


Years of experience

Below Average

Average

Top of Market

The highest average salary a Software Engineer in Melbourne can get with 10+ years of experience, that is $190,500. This pay is 79.9% higher than the average salary in Melbourne startups, which is $105,917. The salary range varies with years of experience and depends on other factors such as skill set, size of company, and industry.