The median IC Design / RTL Engineer salary in Singapore is SGD7K/mo in 2026. Pay has moved +4.0% year-on-year. This is base salary for permanent employees. Contracting instead? See day rates for this role below.
What does An IC Design / RTL Engineer do?
An IC Design / RTL Engineer is responsible for designing digital logic at the register-transfer level for integrated circuits, from architecture definition through synthesis and verification.
Day-to-day responsibilities
National Median Monthly Salary
SGD7K/mo
per monthSingapore monthly benchmark • 2026
Published benchmark
Range: limited data
Data quality & confidence
Confidence Score
60%
YoY Momentum
+4.0%
Median salary benchmark
SGD7K/mo
monthly - 2026
Published benchmark
SGD7K/mo
Range: limited data
Year-on-year pay movement
+4.0%
from market research
Forward pay outlook
SGD8K/mo
Forecasted market posture
Permanent salary median for IC Design / RTL Engineer in Singapore, based on published market compensation data. A fuller range will appear as more observations land.
Published median
SGD7K
Range: limited data
After Income Tax & CPF · single, standard payroll deductions
Gross/month
SGD7K
Take-home/year
$64,746
Per month
$5,396
Effective rate
22.9%
Gross/month
SGD7K
Take-home/year
$64,746
Per month
$5,396
Effective rate
22.9%
Gross/month
SGD7K
Take-home/year
$64,746
Per month
$5,396
Effective rate
22.9%
See the full band-by-band breakdown for IC Design / RTL Engineer
Adjust for your actual salary, see each Income Tax and CPF band, and get monthly and weekly figures.
3-day/week office schedule · typical Singapore commute assumptions
Break-even remote salary
$73,000
minimum to match SGD7K/mo hybrid
Annual commute impact
−$8,212
costs + time value lost
Hours commuting/year
141 hrs
at 60 min/day, 3 days/wk
See the full break-even analysis for IC Design / RTL Engineer
Adjust commute costs, compare any two salaries, and find the exact remote salary you need.
Hiring outlook · remote rate · top employers
Hiring outlook
StableRemote / hybrid
15%
of roles offer remote or hybrid
Salary growth (YoY)
+4.0%
market is paying more
Full market demand breakdown for IC Design / RTL Engineer
Hiring drivers, remote rate detail, full employer list, and demand FAQs for Singapore.
Contract day rates available for this role
Median SGD400/day, see full breakdown, city rates, and take-home calculator
Contract break-even
What day rate beats a S$7K IC Design / RTL Engineer salary after tax?
Break-even day rate
S$305/day
to match S$7K permanent net
Permanent net take-home
S$64,746/yr
S$7K gross, citizen/PR, 2026 IRAS rates
Sole proprietor, 220 days, no CPF. Net figures are estimates; use the calculators for exact results.
Market Demand & Outlook
Demand level
Low
Based on hiring signals relative to similar roles in this market.
Top hiring locations
Career outlook
Positive market outlook
IC Design / RTL Engineer compensation is trending upward, supported by a +4.0% salary movement signal.
Seniority is the biggest single driver of IC Design / RTL Engineer pay in Singapore. Entry-level roles start at SGD5K, rising 180% to SGD14K at lead or principal level.
Junior
SGD5K
SGD5K-SGD5K middle band
Mid-level
SGD7K
SGD7K-SGD7K middle band
Senior
SGD10K
SGD10K-SGD10K middle band
Principal/Lead
SGD14K
SGD14K-SGD14K middle band
Certain technical skills push IC Design / RTL Engineer salaries in Singapore significantly above the SGD7K median. These are the most impactful skills to develop or highlight when negotiating.
Verilog / SystemVerilog
+16%
salary premium vs median
Synthesis & timing closure (Synopsys, Cadence)
+15%
salary premium vs median
Low-power design techniques
+13%
salary premium vs median
How does IC Design / RTL Engineer pay compare to similar roles?
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IC Design / RTL Engineers in Singapore earn a median salary of SGD7K/mo in 2026. This benchmark reflects published market compensation data for monthly pay across the Singapore market.
City-level salary coverage for this role is still limited, so the country-level benchmark is currently the strongest view. As more location data is published, city comparison depth will expand on this page.
At experience level, entry roles start around SGD5K/mo, senior roles sit near SGD10K/mo, and lead-level roles reach about SGD14K/mo. Demand is currently moderate for this role based on recent coverage and salary momentum signals.
The median IC Design / RTL Engineer salary in Singapore is SGD7K/mo in 2026, based on published market compensation data. A fuller percentile range will appear as more observations land for this role.
IC Design / RTL Engineer salaries have moved +4.0% year-on-year in Singapore.
A IC Design / RTL Engineer earning the median SGD7K gross in Singapore will take home a net amount after income tax and other deductions. Use the PayMetric Labs take-home calculator on this page for an exact breakdown by tax band.
Principal/Lead-level IC Design / RTL Engineers in Singapore earn the most, with a median of SGD14K, compared to SGD5K at entry level. Seniority is the strongest single driver of pay in this role.
On a 3-day hybrid schedule with a typical Singapore commute ($5/day travel, 60-minute round trip, daily meal premium, annual wardrobe costs), your true net income at SGD7K/mo is approximately $56,534 per year, compared to $64,746 net without any commute. The commute costs $8,212 per year in direct expenses and lost time. A fully remote role paying $73,000 would leave you equally well off.
Assuming a 3-day hybrid schedule with typical commute costs, you would need a remote salary of at least $73,000 to match the true net value of a SGD7K/mo hybrid IC Design / RTL Engineer role in Singapore. For a 5-day fully in-office role, the break-even remote salary rises to $66,100, as the higher office frequency increases travel, meal, and time costs significantly.
On a 3-day hybrid schedule with a 60-minute round trip, a IC Design / RTL Engineer in Singapore spends approximately 141 hours commuting per year, equivalent to 18 full working days. Valued at the implied hourly rate for a SGD7K/mo salary ($42/hr), that time is worth $5,929 annually.
As more employers in Singapore reintroduce hybrid or full in-office mandates in 2026, the true value of a IC Design / RTL Engineer salary depends increasingly on the number of required office days. At SGD7K/mo, each additional day in the office costs roughly $2,587 per year in direct and time costs (moving from 3 to 5 days). Candidates evaluating offers should compare true net income rather than gross salary alone.
This benchmark is derived from verified market compensation data and is rated Moderate Confidence. High Confidence means the benchmark is corroborated across independent sources and is citation-ready. Moderate Confidence is directional context while coverage is still building. Limited Market Data means early signals only.
An indicative year-over-year signal of +4.0% is available from the latest market research for this role. This figure is directional market research rather than a matched prior-year observation in our own dataset.
Candidates and employers should treat SGD7K as the current market midpoint for this role, with range depth still building as more observations land.