Materials Engineers pay range in San Diego
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $67,660 a year or less, while the top 10% make $170,010 or more. The middle half of materials engineers in San Diego earn between $93,200 and $135,590.
- $68K10th
- $93K25th
- $124KMedian
- $136K75th
- $170K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $117,680 | $9,807 | $56.58 |
| Median | $124,180 | $10,348 | $59.70 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $93,200 | $7,767 | $44.81 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $135,590 | $11,299 | $65.19 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Materials Engineers salary after taxes in San Diego
On the average salary of $117,680, a single filer in San Diego takes home about $84,766 a year, or $7,064 a month and $3,260 every two weeks. Taxes take 28% of gross pay.
Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Is San Diego a good place for materials engineers? Pay vs. cost of living
Prices in the San Diego area are 12% above the U.S. average (BEA price parity 111.9), so the average $117,680 buys what about $105,178 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 2.1 times the median wage of all jobs in San Diego ($58,690). A typical home costs $946,365, or 8.0 years of this average salary before tax.
Materials Engineers salary in other California cities
San Diego ranks 7th of 8 California metro areas for this job; San Jose pays the most ($156,740).
- San Jose$156,740
- Bakersfield$135,510
- San Francisco$133,770
- Los Angeles$127,780
- Sacramento$122,450
- Oxnard$120,320
- San Diego$117,680
- Riverside$104,740
Highest-paying cities for materials engineers
San Jose, CA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($156,740).
- San Jose, CA$156,740
- Seattle, WA$153,780
- Washington, DC$145,070
- Boulder, CO$143,470
- Houston, TX$138,820
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Materials Engineers salary in San Diego: questions
How much do materials engineers make an hour in San Diego?
$56.58 an hour on average, and $59.70 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level materials engineers salary in San Diego?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $67,660 a year and the 25th percentile is $93,200, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the materials engineers take-home pay in San Diego?
About $84,766 a year ($7,064 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $117,680. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do materials engineers earn more in San Diego than elsewhere?
The average here is 4% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($122,532).
Sources and how to read this page
- Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), May 2025 estimates for metropolitan areas. SOC code 17-2131; area San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (41740). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 2.1%.
- Cost of living: Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities (RPP), 2024; 100 = U.S. average.
- Home value: Zillow Home Value Index. Typical-wage figure: OEWS all occupations, same metro.
- Take-home pay: Single filer, standard deduction: federal income tax (2026 brackets), Social Security, Medicare and state income tax (2025 rules). California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
- Job concentration: location quotient 1.14, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
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