Elementary School Teachers salary in Santa Maria, CA

Median pay for elementary school teachers in Santa Maria, CA: $96,000/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $60,340 – $119,830 · about 1,990 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($62,430) by +$33,570 (+54%).

What it's really worth in Santa Maria

With Santa Maria's cost of living at 114 (US=100), that $96,000 has the buying power of about $84,413 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $92,332 · median home $1,005,339 · median rent $3,338/mo.

Full Santa Maria cost of living & taxes →

How Santa Maria ranks for this job

On raw pay, Santa Maria, CA is 13th of the 187 metros we hold elementary school teachers wages for. Once Santa Maria's cost of living is applied, it ranks 22nd.

Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Santa Maria sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.

What that salary buys in Santa Maria

A median home in Santa Maria, CA costs $1,005,339 — about 10.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.

Median rent of $3,338/mo works out at 42% of gross pay — above the conventional 30% affordability ceiling, so renting would stretch this salary.

Where elementary school teachers earn more

Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Santa Maria.

Metro	Median pay	vs Santa Maria	Rent vs Santa Maria
Merced, CA	$105,090	+9%	0.6×
San Francisco, CA	$103,440	+8%	1×
Oxnard, CA	$103,350	+8%	0.9×
Modesto, CA	$101,210	+5%	0.6×

Same job elsewhere in CA

Metro	Median pay	vs Santa Maria	Rent vs Santa Maria
Merced, CA	$105,090	+9%	0.6×
San Francisco, CA	$103,440	+8%	1×
Oxnard, CA	$103,350	+8%	0.9×
Modesto, CA	$101,210	+5%	0.6×

Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.

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