Housing
Housing dominates Durham's monthly budget at $1,756, with a city center one-bedroom apartment costing $1,550. Basic utilities add $136 and internet runs $65, making housing roughly 83% of total living expenses for tech professionals.
Security Software Engineer Salary in Durham
Market ranges & how to evaluate your offer
$129k – $165k/yr
Most offers in Durham fall between $203k–$371k depending on seniority, location, and role scope.
Last updated: March 2026Self-reported salaries + labor statisticsDurhamConfidence: High
10th
percentile$132.825
percentile$132.825
Median$147.125
90th
percentile$161.425
percentile$161.425
Local vs National
Durham$147k
National Average$260k
Durham pays 43.4% less than the national typical
Salary data is self-reported and varies by scope, company, and location. Use ranges, not single numbers.
Offer sanity-check
Compare your total comp for Security Software Engineer — pick seniority, enter an offer, and preview the layout. Percentiles use your selected seniority when market data is available.
Salary Range for Security Software Engineer
Seniority-level breakdown for this market.
Cost of Living in Durham, NC
Cost of living breakdown for Durham, NC market.
86avg = 100
Estimated monthly costs for this basket are about 86% of our comparable national baseline—day-to-day spending tends to go further here.
Overall COL Index
HOUSING+25%
National avg (100)
FOOD-51%
National avg (100)
TRANSPORT-90%
National avg (100)
LIFESTYLE-62%
National avg (100)
Monthly cost breakdown
How the estimated monthly cost bundle splits across categories for a typical Security Software Engineer earner.
$2,107.18/ mo
HOUSING
$1,755.87 USD (83.3% of est. monthly costs)
FOOD
$207.64 USD (9.9% of est. monthly costs)
TRANSPORT
$36.00 USD (1.7% of est. monthly costs)
LIFESTYLE
$107.67 USD (5.1% of est. monthly costs)
+25%
Food & dining
Food costs remain modest at $208 monthly, with restaurant meals averaging $15 and grocery staples like chicken fillets at $14 per kg. Durham's food expenses are notably affordable compared to major tech hubs, leaving room for dining flexibility.
Transportation
Public transit costs just $36 monthly for a regular pass, making Durham extremely commuter-friendly. The low transportation overhead makes this market attractive for professionals seeking cost-effective mobility options.
Lifestyle & leisure
Leisure spending totals $108 monthly, with gym memberships at $39 and movie tickets at $12. Coffee runs $4.45 per cappuccino, keeping discretionary entertainment costs reasonable and well below housing expenses.
Earning what you're worth starts with your resume
Salary data only matters if you land the interview. Get a free AI-powered resume review and see how yours stacks up.
Top-Paying Cities for Security Software Engineer
Location-specific ranges with optional cost-of-living adjustment.
Top Employers in Durham
Median compensation, hiring momentum, and pay mix for Security Software Engineers in this market.
IBM
Stable Hiring$147k
CashStock
Mostly hires: Advisory Engineer
Remote Pay Bands Explained
Security Software Engineers face varying remote compensation models depending on company security policies and compliance requirements. Tech giants like Google and Microsoft typically offer location-adjusted salaries, paying $180K-220K in San Francisco but $140K-170K for the same role in Austin or Denver. Financial services companies often maintain national pay bands due to strict security clearance requirements, offering consistent $160K-200K regardless of location since security talent is scarce.
The hybrid security model is reshaping compensation trends, with many companies offering 10-15% premiums for engineers willing to be on-site for incident response. Security roles increasingly command location-agnostic pay due to the critical nature of cybersecurity and talent shortage. When negotiating remote Security Software Engineer positions, emphasize your ability to maintain security protocols remotely and highlight experience with distributed security architectures that demonstrate trustworthiness.
Moving from expensive metros like Seattle ($190K average) to lower-cost areas like Nashville or Raleigh while maintaining remote security roles can increase purchasing power by 40-60%. A $170K remote Security Software Engineer salary in North Carolina provides equivalent lifestyle to $280K in San Francisco, while many companies now recognize that security expertise transcends geography and pay accordingly for top talent.
Career Recovery Toolkit
Get everything you need to bounce back
Resume scans, interview prep, layoff explanations — one toolkit, one payment, lifetime access.
- Resume review
- Interview preparation
- ATS resume scan
- Layoff explanations
- Interview practice
- Cover letter help
Related Roles
How adjacent roles compare in pay and scope.
Software Engineer
$120k-$495k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
DetailsFull Stack Software Engineer
$112k-$432k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
DetailsBackend Software Engineer
$117k-$402k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
DetailsQuality Assurance (qa) Software Engineer
$102k-$316k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
DetailsNetworking Engineer
$123k-$420k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
DetailsProduction Software Engineer
$105k-$420k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
DetailsHow to Negotiate Your Offer
Practical steps that move the number without damaging the relationship.
Start your ask above the median. You'll rarely be offered more than you ask, so anchor high and let the employer negotiate you down.
Stronger approach:
- Start your ask above the median
- You'll rarely be offered more than you ask, so anchor high and let the employer negotiate you down
Say 'market data puts this role at $X–$Y' — not 'I was hoping for more'. External benchmarks are harder to argue against than personal expectations.
Stronger approach:
- Say 'market data puts this role at $X–$Y' — not 'I was hoping for more'
- External benchmarks are harder to argue against than personal expectations
When base is stuck, negotiate equity vesting schedule, signing bonus, or accelerated refresh grants. Total comp has more levers than base alone.
Stronger approach:
- When base is stuck, negotiate equity vesting schedule, signing bonus, or accelerated refresh grants
- Total comp has more levers than base alone
Ask for 48 hours to review. This creates time to counter and signals that you take offers seriously — not that you are uncertain.
Stronger approach:
- Ask for 48 hours to review
- This creates time to counter and signals that you take offers seriously — not that you are uncertain
Negotiate Salary
Generate an aware negotiation email using Google market positioning data.
Practice Interviews
Mock interviews tailored to Google's process and evaluation criteria.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about Security Software Engineer compensation.
Security Software Engineers earn $120K-180K at entry level, $160K-250K at mid-level, and $220K-400K+ at senior levels. Total compensation including equity can reach $500K+ at top tech companies.
Your next move starts here
Tools built for professionals evaluating offers and preparing for interviews.
Negotiate SalaryGenerate a data negotiation emailPractice InterviewsAI-powered mock interview sessionsReview ResumeATS scan & optimization feedbackSmart Prep PlanPersonalized interview preparation
Start for freeLand the salary you just looked up
Our AI Interview Copilot listens to your live interview and feeds you real-time answers, so you walk in confident and walk out with the offer.
"I used the salary data to benchmark my offer, then generated a negotiation email. Got a 12% bump without a single awkward conversation."
Sarah KProduct Manager
100k+Users
92%Success rate
Freeto Start