[betaby]

200K CAD is basically unheard in Montreal for the IC. I know only one person with total compensation like that and she is kind of tech manager. 135K Cad is very high in Montreal for IC, median for the senior developer is around 90k, 100K considered very good.

[chrisandchips]

To OP, or another curious reader, I think you need to take these kinds of posts with a grain of salt. That salary is rare in montreal, but it is also an extremely affordable city to live in. If you are seeking a comfortable life, I personally don’t think you need to be sweating whether you’re earning 120k or 200k CAD in a city like that.

[sailingparrot]

It's high but not unheard of (I am talking about total comp, not base salary). I know plenty of IC making that and more. Of course I am biased, since I work for an employer that does pay that kind of salary, so of course I know a lot of my colleagues. This might only be achievable if you work for one the top AI companies in the city however (Google Brain, Facebook Lab, Microsoft etc.). I don't really know how it's like outside of my bubble.

And I agree that this is not common at all but OP was talking about "top earning" friends.

However, even taking your median figure of 100k, I doubt the median salary in the bay for a senior software engineer is 300K USD (4 times more).

[betaby]

Facebook Lab is how many employees in Montreal? 10? Microsoft doesn't pay 200k CAD in Montreal in total comp to IC not even close to that.

[sailingparrot]

> Microsoft doesn't pay 200k CAD in Montreal in total comp to IC not even close to that.

You might want to get more up to date info on that.