Mechanical Engineers salary in San Diego, CA

Median pay for mechanical engineers in San Diego, CA: $122,350/yr

Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $78,500 – $162,920 · about 3,460 employed locally

Above the typical metro median ($95,605) by +$26,745 (+28%).

What it's really worth in San Diego

With San Diego's cost of living at 111 (US=100), that $122,350 has the buying power of about $110,483 in an average-cost US metro.

Local context: median household income $96,974 · median home $946,365 · median rent $2,951/mo.

Full San Diego cost of living & taxes →

How San Diego ranks for this job

On raw pay, San Diego, CA is 7th of the 180 metros we hold mechanical engineers wages for. Once San Diego's cost of living is applied, it ranks 23rd.

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

What that salary buys in San Diego

A median home in San Diego, CA costs $946,365 — about 7.7× 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 $2,951/mo works out at 29% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.

Where mechanical engineers earn more

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

Metro	Median pay	vs San Diego	Rent vs San Diego
San Jose, CA	$153,520	+25%	1.2×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+12%	1.1×
Albuquerque, NM	$133,660	+9%	0.5×
Tyler, TX	$130,720	+7%	0.5×

Same job elsewhere in CA

Metro	Median pay	vs San Diego	Rent vs San Diego
San Jose, CA	$153,520	+25%	1.2×
San Francisco, CA	$136,970	+12%	1.1×
Santa Cruz, CA	$126,560	+3%	1.2×
Santa Maria, CA	$121,160	−1%	1.1×

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

Other jobs in San Diego