.NET Developer Salary in Cleveland: $70,000-$130,000 (2026)

Cleveland’s cost of living index (~88) materially increases purchasing power for a . NET developer earning the local average (~$95k).

Housing is the biggest factor: median single‑family home prices sit near $160k and city‑center one‑bedroom rents commonly range $850–$1,050/month, far below major tech hubs. For a mid‑level .

NET developer at ~$85k, this means mortgage or rent consumes a smaller portion of gross income compared to the national average. Commute costs are modest: Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority (RTA) monthly passes are about $100, and average city drive times are shorter than many metros, keeping fuel and wear‑and‑tear lower.

Lifestyle expenses — dining out, gyms, childcare — also trend below national averages. Concretely, a senior .

NET developer making ~$115k in Cleveland will likely have equivalent or greater discretionary income than a $140–150k peer in a higher‑cost city once housing and transport are considered. That makes Cleveland attractive for developers prioritizing home buying, saving, or lower monthly living costs while keeping a metropolitan job base.

Salaries for . NET developers in Cleveland reflect the city’s employer mix and project types.

Major regional employers—Cleveland Clinic and University Hospitals—drive sustained demand for healthcare applications and integrations, often paying competitively for developers experienced in HL7/FHIR, Azure, and enterprise . NET systems.

Financial firms like Progressive and KeyBank hire . NET engineers for core banking systems, claims platforms, and legacy modernization, supporting strong mid‑to‑senior pay bands.

Large manufacturers (Sherwin‑Williams, Parker Hannifin) and local enterprise‑software vendor Hyland create opportunities for product and embedded enterprise development. Demand skews toward modernization (migrating .

NET Framework to . NET Core/5+), cloud (Azure), APIs, and DevOps.

The pipeline is supported by local talent from Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland State, and bootcamps, which keeps entry salary pressure moderate. Project budgets in healthcare and finance can push salaries up for specialists (security, cloud, data integration), while pure small‑business web projects pay closer to the lower end of the range.

Overall the market is steady with selective premium for cloud and migration expertise.

Compared to Columbus and Pittsburgh, Cleveland’s average . NET salary (~$95k) is slightly lower, but its COL index (~88) remains lower as well, preserving real income.

Columbus (avg ~$100k, COL ~95) has stronger tech growth and more remote‑friendly startups; Pittsburgh (avg ~$98k, COL ~92) has higher demand in robotics, health IT, and universities. Akron (avg ~$85k, COL ~86) offers lower salaries and COL—good for commuting if you live in Akron and work in Cleveland for specialized roles.

When to commute: short commutes make sense for targeted opportunities (e. g.

, Hyland or a hospital system) where the role provides fast skill growth. When to relocate: consider Columbus or Pittsburgh if you need faster career acceleration in cloud‑native startups or larger tech scenes.

Remote work: many Cleveland employers offer hybrid or remote options for experienced . NET engineers—remote roles can pay closer to national averages, but beware of employer pay bands that reduce remote compensation to local levels.

If remote pays national rates, relocation may be unnecessary; if not, moving to a higher‑paying city could be required for market parity.

Typical progression: entry (0–2 years) builds fundamentals—C#, ASP. NET, SQL Server, basic Azure/AWS usage—often in internal IT teams, small agencies, or support roles.

Expect 18–36 months to reach mid‑level with consistent project work, unit testing, automated builds, and ownership of features. Mid (3–7 years) takes on architecture tasks, microservices, CI/CD, and mentoring; movement to senior often requires demonstrable delivery of cross‑system designs, cloud migrations (.

NET Core/. NET 6+ on Azure), and performance tuning.

Senior (8+ years) focuses on architecture leadership, platform design, and technical strategy; in Cleveland that can mean leading health‑system integrations, fintech projects, or product teams. Accelerators in this market: obtaining Azure certifications (AZ‑204/ AZ‑400), contributing to a cloud migration, mastering modern .

NET and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes), and gaining domain expertise (healthcare claims, banking integrations). Transition to management or principal engineer roles typically occurs around year 8–12 depending on role breadth and leadership experience.

Aim for a realistic but assertive approach: for a mid‑level . NET role target $80k–$95k; for senior roles expect $105k–$125k depending on domain expertise.

Use local comparables (Progressive, Cleveland Clinic, Hyland postings) and cite recent Azure/. NET Core project outcomes to justify premiums.

In Cleveland employers frequently compensate with robust benefits rather than massive base increases: negotiated items often include signing bonuses ($5k–$15k), accelerated review cycles, remote/hybrid flexibility, increased paid time off, education stipends, and retention bonuses. For healthcare/finance roles, emphasize security/compliance experience (HIPAA, PCI) to unlock higher offers.

If the company’s offer is below expectations, ask for a 6–12 month performance review with clear deliverables tied to compensation uplift. Cultural factors: local hiring teams value stability, domain experience, and teamwork—demonstrate cross‑team collaboration and project ownership.

Finally, when negotiating remote roles from higher‑COL locales, clarify whether the employer adjusts pay for location; if they pay local rates, negotiate more on equity, bonuses, or fringe benefits rather than base salary.