Data Engineer Salary in Toronto 2026: Complete Guide

# Data Engineer Salary in Toronto 2026: Complete Guide

Toronto is one of the fastest-growing data engineering markets in North America. Canada's largest financial institutions, a maturing tech ecosystem anchored by Shopify and Cohere, and internationally recognized AI research infrastructure have combined to drive demand for skilled data engineers to historic highs. This guide covers what data engineers actually earn in Toronto in 2026 — broken down by seniority, employer, and technology stack.

For a global benchmark across six cities, see the Data Engineer Salary Guide 2026.

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Data Engineer Salary by Level in Toronto (2026)

Salaries below are base pay in Canadian dollars (CAD). USD equivalents assume approximately 0.73 exchange rate as of early 2026.

Total compensation — base plus RRSP matching, bonuses, and RSUs — typically runs 15–30% above base at larger employers such as Shopify and the major banks.

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Top Toronto Employers for Data Engineers

Toronto's data engineering market spans three employer categories, each with distinct pay structures and technology stacks.

Financial Services

Canada's Big Five banks are among the heaviest investors in data infrastructure in the country:

RBC — One of the largest enterprise data platforms in Canada. Data engineers work on petabyte-scale pipelines using Spark, Databricks, and cloud platforms. Salaries range from CAD $95K–$160K depending on seniority.

TD Bank — Invested heavily in cloud data migration and real-time analytics. Mid-level roles typically land at CAD $100K–$135K.

Wealthsimple — Canada's leading consumer fintech. Emphasizes dbt, Snowflake, and event-driven pipelines. Startup-tier salaries with meaningful equity; senior engineers earn CAD $130K–$165K.

Tech and AI Companies

Shopify — Canada's flagship tech company. Data engineers build some of the largest e-commerce pipelines in the world using Spark, Kafka, and Snowflake. Senior engineers earn CAD $150K–$195K base with RSUs on top.

Cohere — Toronto's highest-profile AI company. Data engineers supporting LLM training infrastructure earn at or above Shopify ranges, with a strong equity component.

Thomson Reuters — Major enterprise tech employer with large data platform teams. Stable and well-benchmarked: CAD $110K–$155K for senior roles, with excellent benefits.

Ubisoft Toronto — Player analytics and live-service telemetry pipelines. Pays CAD $95K–$140K at mid-to-senior level.

MDA Space — Canada's aerospace tech leader. Data engineers process satellite imagery and geospatial data pipelines. Senior roles pay CAD $105K–$150K with strong government-contract stability.

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Stack Premiums: What Technologies Pay More

Not all data engineering experience carries equal weight in Toronto. These specializations command meaningful salary premiums:

Apache Spark — The most in-demand big data framework across the banks and enterprise employers. Engineers with deep Spark expertise earn 15–22% above median base.

dbt (data build tool) — Explosive adoption in Toronto's fintech and analytics-engineering layer. dbt experience adds 10–16% to offers at Wealthsimple and analytics-first startups.

Snowflake — The dominant cloud data warehouse across Toronto's financial sector and tech ecosystem. SnowPro certification commands a 10–18% premium.

Apache Kafka — Real-time event streaming expertise is actively sought at Shopify, Wealthsimple, and enterprise fintech companies. Kafka depth adds 12–18% above peers without it.

Apache Airflow — The standard orchestration tool across Toronto's data teams. Combined with Spark or Kafka expertise, Airflow rounds out a profile that commands top-band offers.

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Toronto vs Vancouver vs NYC vs Remote

New York offers the highest nominal salaries, but New York State and New York City income taxes combined with the cost of living erode much of the premium. Toronto senior data engineers in financial services often achieve comparable quality-of-life outcomes — especially when universal healthcare and lower housing costs outside the downtown core are factored in.

For a broader look at how Toronto ranks across all tech roles, see the Tech Salaries in Toronto 2026 guide.

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Canadian Benefits: What You Actually Get Beyond Base Salary

Canadian compensation packages include several benefits consistently undervalued when comparing with US-based roles:

RRSP Matching — The Registered Retirement Savings Plan is Canada's primary retirement vehicle. Most major Toronto employers match 3–5% of salary. At a CAD $130K salary, 5% matching is CAD $6,500 per year in free savings — and every RRSP dollar reduces taxable income dollar-for-dollar. Employment Insurance (EI) — Federally funded income protection when you are laid off or take parental leave. Parental leave can extend to 18 months, with many major employers topping up EI payments to 100% of base salary for the first several weeks. OHIP (Ontario Health Insurance Plan) — Provincial healthcare covers the vast majority of medical costs at no employee premium. This replaces the employer-sponsored health insurance cost that US-based workers pay — saving CAD $5,000–$15,000 annually in equivalent coverage costs. Supplemental Benefits — Dental, vision, and prescription drug coverage are typically provided by employer benefit plans. Most major Toronto tech employers and financial institutions offer comprehensive coverage with no or minimal employee contribution.

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Immigration: Getting to Toronto as a Data Engineer

Toronto is one of the most accessible major tech hubs in the world for international engineers:

Global Talent Stream (GTS) — An LMIA-exempt work permit program designed specifically for high-demand tech workers. Employers such as Shopify, Cohere, and Thomson Reuters actively use GTS to bring in international hires in as little as two weeks. It is the fastest employer-sponsored work authorization pathway to Canada available. Express Entry — Canada's points-based federal immigration system. Data engineers score well due to high NOC classification demand. Provincial nominee programs — including the Ontario Immigrant Nominee Program (OINP) — can further accelerate permanent residence timelines for tech workers. TN Visa — Available to US and Mexican citizens under the CUSMA trade agreement. No cap, no lottery, and typically processed at the border. Ideal for US-based data engineers evaluating Toronto opportunities before committing to a full immigration process.

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Negotiate with Market Data

Toronto's data engineering market in 2026 rewards engineers who combine modern stack depth — Spark, dbt, Snowflake, Kafka, Airflow — with production-grade pipeline experience at scale. Financial services and AI companies anchor the top of the salary range, and Canada's immigration-friendly policies make Toronto increasingly competitive with major US markets for international talent.

For related role benchmarks in the Toronto market, see the Data Scientist Salary Toronto 2026 and ML Engineer Salary Toronto 2026 guides.