Total Cost of Employment(TCE)
Total Cost of Employment (TCE) is an indexed measure of the full all-in cost of employing a specific role at a specific seniority level in a specific market - used to compare labor costs across geographies on a like-for-like basis, typically indexed against a baseline market (e.g. San Francisco = 100).
A senior software engineer's TCE in San Francisco (index 100) runs approximately $290,000-$380,000/year all-in, while New York indexes at 88 (~$250,000-$335,000/year) - illustrating how TCE indexing lets companies compare markets without repeatedly restating absolute dollar figures.
For the full 12-market index, see Global Labor Cost Index 2026.