Software Developers salary in Santa Rosa, CA
Median pay for software developers in Santa Rosa, CA: $145,050/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $83,990 – $201,540 · about 670 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($111,055) by +$33,995 (+31%).
What it's really worth in Santa Rosa
With Santa Rosa's cost of living at 110 (US=100), that $145,050 has the buying power of about $131,561 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $99,266 · median home $796,761 · median rent $2,637/mo.
How Santa Rosa ranks for this job
On raw pay, Santa Rosa, CA is 9th of the 186 metros we hold software developers wages for. Once Santa Rosa's cost of living is applied, it ranks 26th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Santa Rosa sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Santa Rosa
A median home in Santa Rosa, CA costs $796,761 — about 5.5× 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 $2,637/mo works out at 22% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where software developers earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Santa Rosa.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Santa Rosa | Rent vs Santa Rosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $199,100 | +37% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $172,340 | +19% | 1.2× |
| Seattle, WA | $167,030 | +15% | 0.8× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $154,200 | +6% | 1.3× |
Same job elsewhere in CA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Santa Rosa | Rent vs Santa Rosa |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $199,100 | +37% | 1.4× |
| San Francisco, CA | $172,340 | +19% | 1.2× |
| Santa Maria, CA | $154,200 | +6% | 1.3× |
| Los Angeles, CA | $153,560 | +6% | 1.1× |
Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires software developers around Santa Rosa
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- Keysight Technologies · Tech
Other jobs in Santa Rosa
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 186 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.