This is a big question for any field that you go into, but it is a question that a lot of colleges like to answer. Most colleges will tell you that you will automatically make $70,000 as an entry-level software engineer anywhere you work. However compensation varies greatly depending on where you are and what company you work for. This means that like any other profession depending on where you want to live can be a big factor in compensation. Although having more compensation may not always be better, especially if the cost of living is much higher. There are other benefits that a job will offer and those must also be taken into consideration when determining what kind of salary you get. Depending on your health you may look into the jobs healthcare coverage before the salary. This is because healthcare coverage varies greatly from business to business and the cost from procedures and tests can outpace the amount of money you make easily. The next most looked at benefit would probably be how much paid time off you get. Some places will offer almost none when you are first hired and some will offer 10 or more days. Tech companies now are also offering many different benefits in the workplace. This may include have a game room at work with ping-pong, foosball, and many other games to play on break. They may also have free lunch or just claim they have the best culture to work in. This just means that compensation is not always straight forward and depending on your situation may mean making less money for better benefits or if you are in your prime with no health risks then going for pure money may be the better fit. So to answer the question the salary of a software engineer varies depending on the type of job you want. Just know that there is probably a job out there willing to pay or give you what you want.
(Although if they try to get you to work for less than $50,000 anywhere then you may be better off finding a different place to work.)
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