Machine Learning Engineer Salary in Hyderabad (2026)
Machine Learning Engineer salary in Hyderabad for 2026 - real pay bands by experience level, what companies actually offer, how to negotiate, and live opening
See which of these jobs match your resume →Salary Overview
The knok jobradar snapshot from 8 July 2026 found 27 active Machine Learning Engineer openings in Hyderabad. That puts Hyderabad ahead of Pune (14 openings) and Chennai (14), but well behind Bangalore (165) and Delhi (50). The honest starting point for any salary guide: most Indian job postings do not disclose pay. Phrases like 'as per industry standards' or a blank CTC field are the norm, not the exception. The salary ranges in this guide come from Glassdoor, levels.fyi, and industry surveys, not from the 27 Hyderabad listings directly, which largely did not disclose figures. Treat all ranges as directional estimates. Your actual offer will depend on company tier, your interview performance, and the ML specialisations you bring to the table.
By Experience Level
The July 2026 knok snapshot did not capture salary bands for Hyderabad, so the ranges below draw on Glassdoor, levels.fyi, and industry surveys. Sample sizes on these platforms are smaller for Hyderabad than for Bangalore, so treat upper bounds with appropriate caution.
Fresher (0-2 years). Glassdoor commonly shows 6-12 LPA for entry-level ML roles at service-sector companies in Hyderabad. At funded product startups and MNCs, figures are commonly cited higher, but the Hyderabad-specific sample is limited and varies significantly by company tier.
Mid-level (3-6 years). Industry surveys commonly cite 15-28 LPA as a typical band for ML Engineers with three to six years of experience in Hyderabad. Specialisations in NLP, computer vision, or MLOps tend to push offers toward the upper end of that range.
Senior (7+ years). Levels.fyi and industry surveys show senior ML Engineer total compensation varies widely across Indian metros. For Hyderabad, senior roles at product companies are commonly cited in the 30-55 LPA range in total CTC, with the caveat that the levels.fyi sample for Hyderabad is smaller than for Bangalore.
By City
The table below shows active ML Engineer openings across major cities from the same 8 July 2026 knok jobradar snapshot. Job volume is a proxy for market depth, not for salary levels.
| City | Active Openings |
|---|---|
| Bangalore | 165 |
| Delhi | 50 |
| Hyderabad | 27 |
| Mumbai | 15 |
| Pune | 14 |
| Chennai | 14 |
Bangalore leads with 165 openings, more than six times Hyderabad's 27. Delhi is a distant second at 50. For ML Engineers based in Hyderabad, this means a smaller but still active local market. On salary, Glassdoor and publicly reported data suggest Bangalore roles commonly command a premium over other cities, but the cost of living there is also higher. Whether relocating makes financial sense depends on the specific company, role level, and your personal situation.
Negotiation Tips
Collect at least two offers before you negotiate. A competing offer is the single most effective lever. Even a written offer from a company you are less excited about gives you a concrete number to reference in the conversation.
Separate base from total CTC. Recruiters often quote a number that bundles variable pay, joining bonus, and ESOPs. The figure commonly cited on Glassdoor for a role often includes all these components. Ask for the fixed annual base in writing before comparing offers.
Know the band before you reveal your expectation. Search Glassdoor and levels.fyi for the specific company and title. Going in blind and naming a number first costs you negotiating room.
Variable pay is not guaranteed. Push to understand the payout history and the conditions for full payment. If the variable component is large, negotiate the base harder.
ESOPs need scrutiny. Ask for the vesting schedule, the last known valuation, and whether a liquidity event is in sight. For early-stage startups, ESOPs are commonly cited as a major part of compensation but carry real uncertainty about when, or whether, that value becomes liquid.
Total Comp Breakdown
Indian CTC structures can look impressive on paper and confusing in practice. Here is what typically makes up the number a recruiter quotes.
Fixed base salary. The guaranteed monthly component. This is the number that matters most for day-to-day finances and for future salary negotiations at your next role.
Variable or performance pay. Industry surveys commonly cite this at 10-20% of CTC at service companies, and higher at product companies. Payout depends on individual and company performance ratings, and is never fully guaranteed.
Joining or retention bonus. A one-time payment, sometimes paid upfront and sometimes in tranches over six or twelve months. It is not recurring income, so weight it accordingly when comparing offers.
ESOPs or RSUs. Common at funded startups and listed tech companies. Value depends on vesting schedules, company valuation, and whether there is a buyback or public listing pathway in the near term.
Provident Fund and gratuity. Statutory components included in CTC but paid into separate funds, not your monthly take-home. They reduce your in-hand salary relative to the headline number.
Allowances. HRA, LTA, food coupons, and internet allowance are part of CTC. Structuring these well can reduce your tax outgo, so ask HR for a tax-efficient salary breakup before signing.
Salary figures combine disclosed CTC from knok's indexed postings with level benchmarks for the India market. We quote fixed LPA unless noted; variable and ESOP are called out separately. Updated 2026-08-22. Not individual financial advice.
- Indexed job postings with disclosed CTC
- Level benchmarks (IC vs lead) for India tech
Frequently asked
Why do most Hyderabad ML Engineer job postings not show salary?
Indian labour law does not require salary disclosure in job ads, so most companies omit it to preserve flexibility in offers and avoid anchoring candidates to a specific number. This is especially common in IT services and large MNCs. The best workaround is to check Glassdoor and levels.fyi for the company, ask your recruiter directly early in the process, and use tools like knok that aggregate data across 150+ job sites.
Is Hyderabad a good city for ML Engineer roles compared to Bangalore?
Bangalore had 165 active ML Engineer openings versus 27 in Hyderabad in the July 2026 knok jobradar snapshot, so the volume of opportunities is substantially lower. That said, Hyderabad has a strong tech presence, with major MNCs and product companies running ML teams locally. Cost of living is publicly reported to be lower than in Bangalore, which affects how far a given salary goes in practice.
What ML skills command the highest pay in Hyderabad right now?
Industry surveys and publicly reported job descriptions consistently highlight LLM fine-tuning, MLOps and model deployment (Kubernetes, SageMaker, Vertex AI), and production-scale ML systems design as high-demand skills. Computer vision and NLP remain strong. Skills tied to generative AI and real-time inference are commonly cited in senior postings through 2025-2026.
How do I verify whether a salary offer is fair for Hyderabad?
Check Glassdoor and levels.fyi for the specific company and job title, filtering by Hyderabad or India. Look at data points posted in the last 12 months and note the sample size carefully, since thin samples can skew averages. Also speak to people in your network who work at the company. If you have a recruiter, ask for the band directly before sharing your own expectation.
Should I negotiate differently at a startup versus an MNC in Hyderabad?
At an MNC, salary bands are usually rigid, but joining bonuses, grade level, and variable pay percentages often have more flexibility. At a funded startup, the base may be lower but ESOPs can be significant. Ask about the vesting schedule and last known valuation, since early-stage ESOPs are commonly cited as a key part of compensation but liquidity is far from guaranteed.
How can an AI job-search tool help me find ML Engineer roles in Hyderabad?
knok checks 150+ job sites every night and applies to roles matching your resume, then messages HR on your behalf so you are not spending evenings copy-pasting applications. It surfaces roles from companies that may not post on the big aggregators. At roughly ₹2,500 a month, it runs in the background while you focus on interview prep and skill building.
The best salary data is a competing offer.
Upload your resume once. knok searches 150+ job sites every night, applies where you have a real chance, and messages HR for you, so your time goes into interviews, not application forms.