Software engineer salary in San Diego, CA
Software engineers in the San Diego metro earn a median of $163,270 a year. That is 20.1% above the US median, and 7.3% above it once you account for higher prices in San Diego.
Median salary
$163,270
US median: $135,980
The middle half earn
$128,590 – $193,980
25th to 75th percentile
After cost of living
$145,920
San Diego prices: 11.9% above US average
H-1B median offer
$157,581
1,021 approved applications
Pay range
The top 10% of software engineers in San Diego earn more than $223,260 a year. The bottom 10% earn less than $95,420.
10th percentile $95,420, 25th $128,590, 75th $193,980, 90th $223,260.
10th percentile $82,460, 25th $105,210, 75th $171,980, 90th $214,670.
10th percentile $123,090, 25th $130,187, 75th $184,650, 90th $185,344.
Line: 10th to 90th percentile. Box: the middle half (25th to 75th). Dark mark: the median.
How far the pay goes in San Diego
Prices in San Diego are 11.9% above the US average, which makes the median worth $145,920 in US-average dollars. Housing costs 79.3% more than the US average.
Black line: US average = 100. Source: Bureau of Economic Analysis, 2024.
Other tech jobs in San Diego
Median yearly pay and the number of people in each job across the San Diego metro.
| Job | People | Median |
|---|---|---|
| IT managers | 7,250 | $206,740 |
| Software engineers | 20,610 | $163,270 |
| Network architects | 1,490 | $157,700 |
| Computer programmers | 1,600 | $134,130 |
| Information security analysts | 1,330 | $132,120 |
| Data scientists | 2,830 | $130,990 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 1,270 | $123,850 |
| QA analysts and testers | 2,280 | $120,210 |
| Computer systems analysts | 5,760 | $119,090 |
| Database administrators | 730 | $106,820 |
| Network and systems administrators | 2,510 | $105,170 |
| Web developers | 520 | $98,300 |
| IT support specialists | 5,260 | $74,020 |
What H-1B employers offer in San Diego
From October 2025 to June 2026, the Department of Labor approved 1,021 H-1B applications for software engineers in the San Diego metro, from 265 employers.
Median offer
$157,581
Middle half
$130,187 – $184,650
Employers
265
Applications by wage level
- Level I (entry): 92
- Level II: 330
- Level III: 207
- Level IV (most experienced): 229
- Not stated: 163
These are salaries offered on approved applications, not salaries paid. Each application lists only its main work site.
Job outlook
+15.8%
The BLS expects over 267,000 more software developer jobs across the US from 2024 to 2034. Jobs overall are expected to grow 3.1%.
291 open tech jobs in San Diego right now
From 54 companies. 23 were posted in the past week.
Sources and notes
- Salaries and job counts: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 (published May 15, 2026), San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro. The BLS counts software engineers as "Software Developers" (job code 15-1252).
- Cost of living: US Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024.
- H-1B offers: US Department of Labor, H-1B application data, October 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026. Approved H-1B applications with job code 15-1252 and a work site in San Diego County.
- Job outlook: US Bureau of Labor Statistics, Employment Projections 2024 to 2034, whole US.
- Open jobs: counted on hiredaemon as this page loads.