Firefighter · San Diego, CA
Firefighter in San Diego: $28/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median firefighter wage in San Diego at $70,900 a year. About 2,880 firefighter jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.84). The 10th percentile is $56,830 and the 90th is $99,130. Pay ranks 68th-highest of 346 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 2.6× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,292/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $28 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Los Angeles, about 111 miles away, at $1,381 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$28
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$70,900
$56,830 to $99,130
Rent (1 bd)
$2,292
$2,728 (2 bd)
Employment
2,880
Location quotient 0.84
Pay rank
68th of 346
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
2.6×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, firefighter pay of $70,900.
- Taxes$1,240
- Rent$2,292
- Other$2,348
- Left$28
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $70,900
- Federal income tax
- −$6,768
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$5,424
- State income tax (CA)
- −$2,689
- Take-home pay
- $56,019
- Effective tax rate
- 21.0%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $2,292
- Groceries
- $468
- Getting around
- $650
- Healthcare
- $527
- Utilities and internet
- $293
- Everything else
- $410
- Total spending
- $4,640
After tax and rent
$28 left/mo
Rank every metro for a firefighter
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Los Angeles, $1,381/mo.
Firefighter leftover by city →Best cities for firefighters to move to →Firefighter nearby
Other jobs in San Diego
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a firefighter make in San Diego?
$70,900 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 2,880 firefighter jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a firefighter in San Diego?
$28 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,292, and pay covers 2.6× a year of it.
Where nearby would a firefighter keep more?
Los Angeles, about 111 miles away, leaves $1,381 a month, more than San Diego.