Civil engineer · Santa Cruz, CA

Civil engineer in Santa Cruz: $2,339/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median civil engineer wage in Santa Cruz at $118,050 a year. About 210 civil engineer jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.91). The 10th percentile is $76,460 and the 90th is $166,580. Pay ranks 14th-highest of 368 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.7× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,638/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,339 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Sacramento, about 134 miles away, at $3,832 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$2,339

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$118,050

$76,460 to $166,580

Rent (1 bd)

$2,638

$3,141 (2 bd)

Employment

210

Location quotient 0.91

Pay rank

14th of 368

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

3.7×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, civil engineer pay of $118,050.

Taxes$2,802
Rent$2,638
Other living costs$2,059
Left over$2,339

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $118,050
Federal income tax: −$17,585
Social Security and Medicare: −$9,031
State income tax (CA): −$7,006
Take-home pay: $84,428
Effective tax rate: 28.5%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,638
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $489
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,697

Left over each month

$9,838 gross, minus $2,802 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.

$2,339

Rank every metro for a civil engineer

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Sacramento, $3,832/mo.

Civil engineer leftover by city →Best cities for civil engineers to move to →

Civil engineer nearby

Questions

What does a civil engineer make in Santa Cruz?

$118,050 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 210 civil engineer jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a civil engineer in Santa Cruz?

$2,339 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 3.7× a year of it.

Where nearby would a civil engineer keep more?

Sacramento, about 134 miles away, leaves $3,832 a month, more than Santa Cruz.