Reviewed on 9 October 2026. This guide gives dated, sourced salary benchmarks for software engineers in Bengaluru, explains what those numbers can and can't tell you, and shows how to check a real offer against them. It uses one published dataset, the Randstad India Salary Trends Report 2025–26, rather than mixing figures from sources that measure different things.
What the benchmark measures
The report says it covers more than 100,000 jobs across 8 Tier-1 and 24 Tier-2 cities (page 6). All figures are average annual CTC in ₹ lakh, in three experience bands:
- Junior: 0–5 years
- Middle: 6–14 years
- Senior: 15 years or more
These are averages across many employers and job levels inside each band. A fresher and an engineer with five years' experience both fall in the junior band. The figures are CTC, not take-home pay.
Keep preparing
Continue with Sarkari Resume Templates₹299 — coaching के एक महीने से काफ़ी सस्ता / far cheaper than a month of coachingSoftware engineer pay in Bengaluru and other Tier-1 cities
The report's information technology section includes a "software engineer" table (page 44):
| City | Junior (0–5 yrs) | Middle (6–14 yrs) | Senior (15+ yrs) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bengaluru | 9.97 | 28.95 | 50.93 |
| Chennai | 8.75 | 29.16 | 56.05 |
| Delhi-NCR | 9.06 | 27.55 | 53.19 |
| Hyderabad | 7.98 | 17.29 | 35.25 |
| Mumbai | 7.31 | 27.57 | 57.64 |
| Pune | 8.09 | 25.98 | 44.83 |
Average annual CTC, ₹ lakh. The report shows no figures for Ahmedabad or Kolkata in this table.
In this dataset, Bengaluru has the highest junior-band average for software engineers among the cities listed. At the middle and senior levels, Chennai, Mumbai and Delhi-NCR show similar or higher averages. Don't read this as "Bengaluru pays every engineer more". The mix of employers and roles behind each city's average is different.
Skill-specific benchmarks for Bengaluru
The same section lists separate tables by skill. Bengaluru's rows:
| Skill table (page) | Junior | Middle | Senior |
|---|---|---|---|
| Java (p. 41) | 9.88 | 26.08 | 42.06 |
| .NET (p. 38) | 9.12 | 24.09 | 42.77 |
| Data scientist (p. 40) | 8.61 | 25.01 | 44.00 |
| Front end (p. 40) | 8.17 | 23.73 | 41.74 |
| Python (p. 43) | 7.87 | 25.35 | 44.61 |
| Automation testing (p. 38) | 7.81 | 25.16 | 44.27 |
| DevOps engineer (p. 44) | 7.74 | 22.49 | 39.57 |
Average annual CTC, ₹ lakh, Bengaluru rows only.
These skill tables are separate samples from the "software engineer" table. Don't average them together, and don't assume one engineer's pay is the sum of their skills.
Worked example: check an offer against the benchmark
The offer below is illustrative. It isn't a real company's package.
A backend engineer with four years' experience receives a Bengaluru offer with a headline "first-year CTC of ₹14,50,000". The written breakdown shows:
| Component | Amount (₹) | Recurring? |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed annual salary | 12,00,000 | Yes |
| Employer PF contribution (12% of ₹3,60,000 basic) | 43,200 | Yes |
| Target annual variable pay (10% of fixed) | 1,20,000 | Yes, if conditions are met |
| One-time joining bonus | 86,800 | No |
| Headline first-year CTC | 14,50,000 |
Step by step:
- Remove one-time items. The recurring CTC is 14,50,000 − 86,800 = ₹13,63,200.
- Separate the guaranteed cash. Fixed pay is ₹12,00,000, which is ₹1,00,000 a month before deductions. The variable ₹1,20,000 depends on performance and company rules, so ask how it was paid out last year.
- Compare like with like. The benchmark is an average CTC, so compare it with the recurring CTC (₹13.63 lakh), not the first-year figure that includes the joining bonus. ₹13.63 lakh is above Bengaluru's junior-band software engineer average of ₹9.97 lakh. That is what you would expect for an engineer near the top of a band that starts at zero years. It doesn't prove the offer is generous for this specific role.
- Ask what the benchmark can't answer. How does this role's scope compare with the candidate's current job? What are the review cycle and notice period? Is there a clawback on the joining bonus?
Bengaluru-specific checks before you accept
- Office days and location. Ask how many days a week you must be in the office, and at which site. Commuting time and cost differ a lot across the city.
- Written breakdown. Ask for fixed pay, variable pay, employer contributions and one-time payments as separate lines.
- Variable pay history. Ask what percentage of target variable pay was actually paid in the last cycle.
- Joining bonus conditions. Check whether it must be repaid if you leave within a set period.
- Equity, if offered. Ask for the vesting schedule and how the value is calculated. Leave it out of your recurring CTC comparison.
For a wider comparison across cities, including living costs, see our guide to salary differences between Indian cities. To turn your comparison into a request, see salary negotiation in Indian interviews.
Using the benchmark in a conversation
A benchmark is most useful as context, not as a demand. If your recurring CTC is well below the relevant band average, you could say: "I've looked at the Randstad 2025–26 survey, which puts the Bengaluru software engineer average for 0–5 years at ₹9.97 lakh. My experience is towards the upper end of that band, and this role includes on-call ownership of a production service. Is there flexibility on the fixed component?" Quote the source and the band precisely, link your request to the scope of the role, and ask about the fixed component rather than one-time items.
Limits of this benchmark
- It is a 2025–26 snapshot from one recruiter's dataset, not an official government statistic.
- Each band covers a wide range of experience, and the averages hide the spread within it.
- Employer type (product company, services company, global capability centre or startup) isn't separated in these tables.
- CTC isn't take-home pay. Deductions and taxes depend on your own situation.
Use the numbers to sense-check an offer, then base your decision on the written terms, the role itself and your own priorities.