Software Developers salary in Tulsa, OK
Median pay for software developers in Tulsa, OK: $103,480/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $62,730 – $167,400 · about 2,050 employed locally
Below the typical metro median ($111,055) by −$7,575 (-7%).
What it's really worth in Tulsa
With Tulsa's cost of living at 90 (US=100), that $103,480 has the buying power of about $115,112 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $65,784 · median home $253,725 · median rent $1,352/mo.
How Tulsa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Tulsa, OK is 134th of the 186 metros we hold software developers wages for. Once Tulsa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 108th.
Pay here goes further than the headline number suggests — Tulsa is one of the places where software developers gain ground in real terms, because local costs are low relative to what the job pays.
What that salary buys in Tulsa
A median home in Tulsa, OK costs $253,725 — about 2.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is more attainable here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,352/mo works out at 16% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where software developers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Tulsa.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tulsa | Rent vs Tulsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $199,100 | +92% | 2.7× |
| San Francisco, CA | $172,340 | +67% | 2.4× |
| Seattle, WA | $167,030 | +61% | 1.7× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $154,200 | +49% | 2.5× |
Same job elsewhere in OK
| Metro | Median pay | vs Tulsa | Rent vs Tulsa |
|---|---|---|---|
| Oklahoma City, OK | $104,030 | +1% | 1× |
Staying in OK keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires software developers around Tulsa
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Tulsa Air and Space · Aerospace/Defense
Other jobs in Tulsa
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.