Ship Engineers pay range in San Diego
New workers and the lowest-paid 10% earn about $73,940 a year or less, while the top 10% make $109,530 or more. The middle half of ship engineers in San Diego earn between $80,820 and $101,180.
- $74K10th
- $81K25th
- $85KMedian
- $101K75th
- $110K90th
median average · bar = middle 50% of workers
| Pay level | Per year | Per month | Per hour* |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average | $90,770 | $7,564 | $43.64 |
| Median | $85,310 | $7,109 | $41.01 |
| Entry level (25th percentile) | $80,820 | $6,735 | $38.86 |
| Experienced (75th percentile) | $101,180 | $8,432 | $48.64 |
*Hourly figures assume 2,080 paid hours a year.
Ship Engineers salary after taxes in San Diego
On the average salary of $90,770, a single filer in San Diego takes home about $68,337 a year, or $5,695 a month and $2,628 every two weeks. Taxes take 25% 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 ship 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 $90,770 buys what about $81,126 would buy in a typical U.S. metro. This job pays 1.5 times the median wage of all jobs in San Diego ($58,690). A typical home costs $946,365, or 10.4 years of this average salary before tax.
Ship Engineers salary in other California cities
San Diego ranks 3rd of 3 California metro areas for this job; San Francisco pays the most ($130,570).
- San Francisco$130,570
- Los Angeles$98,400
- San Diego$90,770
Highest-paying cities for ship engineers
New Orleans, LA pays this job the most of the metro areas we cover ($151,960).
- New Orleans, LA$151,960
- Honolulu, HI$135,380
- San Francisco, CA$130,570
- Houston, TX$127,070
- New York, NY$126,400
Does this match what you are paid?
Anonymous, no account. Results update as visitors answer.
Share your pay anonymously
Ship Engineers salary in San Diego: questions
How much do ship engineers make an hour in San Diego?
$43.64 an hour on average, and $41.02 at the median (BLS, May 2025).
What is the entry-level ship engineers salary in San Diego?
The lowest-paid 10% earn about $73,940 a year and the 25th percentile is $80,820, a fair guide to starting pay.
What is the ship engineers take-home pay in San Diego?
About $68,337 a year ($5,695 a month) for a single filer on the average salary of $90,770. California State Disability Insurance (1.3% of wages, paid by employees) is not included.
Do ship engineers earn more in San Diego than elsewhere?
The average here is 20% less than the U.S. metro average for this job ($113,388).
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 53-5031; area San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (41740). Relative standard error of the mean wage: 1.5%.
- 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 0.90, this job is about as common as in the U.S. overall.
Read the full methodology. Spotted an error? Tell us.