Salary · India LPA
Data Scientist salary in India
Data Scientist pay splits sharply between 'analytics with Python' and production ML roles. Fintech, healthtech, and product AI teams occupy the upper bands; services 'data science' labels often pay analyst-tier.
LPA bands by experience
Ranges reflect mixed services + product hiring — not top-decile outliers or internship stipends.
| Experience | Typical fixed CTC band |
|---|---|
| 0–2 years | 6–12 LPA |
| 3–5 years | 12–22 LPA |
| 5–8 years | 18–35 LPA |
City and remote notes
- Bengaluru (BLR): product DS teams often +15% vs national mid
- Hyderabad (HYD): GCC and product mix; strong for applied ML roles
- NCR (Delhi NCR): fintech and consulting; wide band by domain
- Pune: fewer pure DS product roles; often below BLR peak
- Remote (India): remote product DS possible at tier-1 with production model proof
Negotiation tip
Separate academic projects from production models in the offer discussion — employers paying product bands expect deployment, monitoring, and stakeholder communication, not notebook accuracy alone.
Related reading: Salary negotiation in India · SDE salary by YOE
FAQ
How much do Data Scientists make in India?
Honest bands: 0–2 YOE 6–12 LPA (often MS or strong portfolio), 3–5 YOE 12–22 LPA, 5–8 YOE 18–35 LPA for product-facing DS with shipped models.
Is a master's degree required for higher bands?
Not always in product startups, but many GCCs and banks still filter for MTech/MS. Strong Kaggle or research without production stories rarely clears product bands at 3+ YOE.
What should I negotiate besides base?
GPU/cloud budget for experiments, conference or course allowance, and clarity on research vs delivery expectations — many India DS roles are 70% analytics despite the title.