With Google being such a large company With over a hundred thousand employees expanding all four continents with a whole spectrum of departments and business areas. The question: what is the average starting salary at Google can vary a lot depending on location, business area and type of role. Here we’re going to look at these three areas and understand what is the average Google salary based on location, business area and job type.
Salary Based on Regions of the World
| Global Region | Average Starting Salary |
| United States | $85,000 – $105,000 |
| Canada | $65,000 – $85,000 |
| United Kingdom | £40,000 – £50,000 |
| Germany | €45,000 – €60,000 |
| France | €40,000 – €50,000 |
| Australia | AU$70,000 – AU$90,000 |
| India | INR 1,200,000 – INR 1,800,000 |
| Singapore | SGD 70,000 – SGD 90,000 |
| Brazil | R$90,000 – R$120,000 |
As you can see the United States has a high starting salary and this is understandable since the Alphabet Head Office is based in Mountain View, California and the West Coast and we know that this is a very expensive part of the world to live in hence why the starting salary is so high.
Also, if you look at Google’s starting salary UK we can see that it’s between £40,000 to £50,000. This is at least 20 to 30% higher than the average starting salary. Again this comes down to a number of factors, the first being that to work at Google you have to be the best and to attract the best you have to pay well and secondly is to consider where Google is located within the UK. Which is in the South East of England Google’s London Salary is higher due to the cost of living. However if you are working remotely outside of London, then the Google salary UK will be lower.
If you are keen to secure a job offer from an Alphabet company then I would highly recommend that you consider some professional Google interview coaching as it will help you in gaining a distinct advantage over other interviewees, since every job at Google is highly competitive.
Alphabet Inc Salary based on business area
| Alphabet Inc | Business | Average Starting Salary (USD) | Average Starting Salary (GBP) |
| Google Cloud | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| YouTube | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Search and Advertising | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| Android and Mobile Apps | $100k – $140k | £75k – £105k | |
| Google Maps | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Google Chrome | $100k – $140k | £75k – £105k | |
| Google AI | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Google Ads | $100k – $140k | £75k – £105k | |
| Google Play | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Google Hardware | $100k – $140k | £75k – £105k | |
| Google Research | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| Google Fiber | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Google Nest | $100k – $140k | £75k – £105k | |
| Waze | $80k – $120k | £60k – £90k | |
| DeepMind | $100k – $140k | £75k – £105k | |
| Waymo | $100k – $140k | £75k – £105k | |
| Verily | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Chronicle | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Sidewalk Labs | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Jigsaw | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Calico | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| Wing | $80k – $120k | £60k – £90k | |
| Loon | $80k – $120k | £60k – £90k | |
| Makani | $80k – $120k | £60k – £90k | |
| Gradient Ventures | $90k – $130k | £65k – £95k | |
| GV (formerly Google Ventures) | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| CapitalG | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| GV Life Sciences | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| GV Management | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| GV Foundation | $110k – $150k | £80k – £110k | |
| X (formerly Google X) | $120k – $160k | £90k – £120k |
As you can see the average salary can range anywhere from 80,000 dollars up to 260 thousand dollars or 62000 to 220,000 pounds. With there being such a large range in starting salary it’s important to know how to negotiate a salary offer since the extra income can make a World difference to your quality of life.
Also as you can see the Alphabet Inc business says which of course Google are the largest part all pay well. Again this comes down to the fact that many of these business areas are highly specialised and are working on cutting Edge technology and therefore are willing to pay more than the average starting salary within their Industries. This particularly applies to companies such as Deepmind and X (formerly Google X) which are working on real cutting edge research.
Google Pay based on Job Type
| Role Type | Subcategories | Average Starting Salary (USD) | Average Starting Salary (GBP) |
| Engineering/ Technical Roles | Software Engineer | $120k – $150k | £90k – £115k |
| Hardware Engineer | $100k – $130k | £75k – £95k | |
| Systems Engineer | $110k – $140k | £80k – £105k | |
| Product Management | Associate Product Manager | $110k – $130k | £80k – £95k |
| Product Manager | $130k – $150k | £95k – £110k | |
| Sales and Marketing | Sales Associate/Representative | $70k – $90k | £50k – £65k |
| Marketing Associate | $70k – $90k | £50k – £65k | |
| Account Manager | $80k – $110k | £60k – £80k | |
| Data Science /Analytics | Data Analyst | $90k – $110k | £65k – £80k |
| Data Scientist | $110k – $130k | £80k – £95k |
As you can see engineering and technical roles such as hardware software and Systems engineers have the highest starting salary. This is inline with most Industries since the more specialist niche the role is the few people do it and if the demand is high then the market dictates that these people get paid more. However, the Google software engineers salary can vary more, mostly due to there being so many roles which require various degrees of technical expertise.
On the flip side you have sales and marketing which paste the least particularly in terms of starting salary but what you will find is that these roles will be highly incentivized particularly with sales where there will be a bonus there will be OTE (On Target Earnings), which means that you can actually end up earning more money than other job roles. product management has recently taken a bit of a hit at Google and this is partly because of the layoffs that have happened in 2023.
So with there being a surplus amount of product managers in the market there is a possibility that the starting salary will go down. Not only, within various Alphabet companies, but across the sector as a whole. Google of course is always recruiting and if you are considering applying to Google or have an interview coming up It’s really important that you prepare for the common Google interview questions. Since the interview is highly competitive, being prepared will give you the edge.
To summarise, Google starting salary is usually higher compared to the industry average. However, when you look at all the Unicorn companies (FAANG) whether it’s Amazon, Meta or Apple They always pay higher than the average because they want to recruit the best and they have the financial muscle and power to be able to do so. However, in saying that getting a job at these companies isn’t easy you have to be amongst the best 20% in your field to have a chance of landing a job there and that not only means in terms of your experience but more importantly your ability to interview well.
Farhan Raja
I'm Farhan, the Founder and Coach at JobInterviewology.com, one of the world’s leading Career and interview Coaching specialists. Bringing over a decade of industry experience and a passion for guiding individuals in their career journeys. As an Interview and Career Coach, I've authored the eBook '10 Simple Steps to CV & Resume Success,' directed a leading UK CV writing specialist, and pioneered the iPREP interview coaching methodology.
My career and interview coaching has spanned over 10 years across diverse industries, from IT giants like Google and Microsoft to vital sectors like Civil Service & NHS, Pharma, Finance, Engineering, Automotive, Construction, Logistics, Banking, and Management Consulting. I've had the privilege of assisting professionals in presenting their best selves, and targeting roles at renowned companies like Amazon, GSK, EY, Shell, Rolls Royce and more.
