Side-by-side distribution
C / C++
$193,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 29.4%
- Live roles
- 385
Python
$171,700
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 15.8%
- Live roles
- 837
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Systems Engineer (C/C++), Exchange Core
Software Engineer - Network (C++)
Software Engineer - Linux Kernel (C++, C)
Software Engineer - Training/Inference (C++)
Software Engineer - Kernels/CUDA (C++)
Software Engineer - Platform Infrastructure (Rust, C++)
Software Engineer - C++
Staff Software Engineer (C++) - Radar Sensors
Senior Software Engineer, C++ (Market Data)
Senior Software Engineer, C++ (Market Data)
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Software Engineer, Code Quality for AI Training (Python)
Staff Software Engineer, AI Code Review - Python, Go, Rust, C#
Python Engineer, AI Code Reviewer
Python - Senior Backend Engineer, AI Coding Agent Quality
Senior Software Engineer - Python
Software Engineer (C++ or Python) – 2027 Grads
Senior Software Engineer, Treasury and Reference Data (Java/Ruby/Python)
Middle/Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (Python, AI)
Software Engineer (Go, Python, TS)
Middle/Senior Forward Deployed Engineer (Python, AI)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Anduril Industries
|
$193,000 | 21 |
Esri
|
$134,264 | 10 |
Roblox
|
$268,610 | 6 |
|
xAI
|
$310,000 | 5 |
Stevens Capital Management LP
|
$225,000 | 5 |
Applied Intuition
|
$173,500 | 5 |
| FT Flow Traders | $233,750 | 4 |
Akuna Capital
|
$145,000 | 4 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Mindrift
|
$83,200 | 32 |
Captivation Software
|
$200,000 | 30 |
|
G2i Inc.
|
$312,000 | 5 |
Northbeam
|
$185,000 | 4 |
Weekday AI
|
$187,200 | 3 |
|
Akuna Capital
|
$145,000 | 3 |
iCapital
|
$120,000 | 3 |
Acquird.io
|
$110,635 | 3 |
C / C++ vs Python: which pays more?
The median for C / C++ is $193,000 per year (typically $156,000–$221,000), versus $171,700 for Python ($121,228–$200,000). That puts C / C++ about 12% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so C / C++ and Python are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.