Lawyer · Santa Cruz, CA

Lawyer in Santa Cruz: $4,639/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median lawyer wage in Santa Cruz at $164,790 a year. About 350 lawyer jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.73). The 10th percentile is $59,990 and the 90th is $315,190. Pay ranks 25th-highest of 376 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.2× 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 $4,639 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is San Jose, about 36 miles away, at $10,359 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$4,639

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$164,790

$59,990 to $315,190

Rent (1 bd)

$2,638

$3,141 (2 bd)

Employment

350

Location quotient 0.73

Pay rank

25th of 376

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

5.2×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, lawyer pay of $164,790.

Taxes$4,396
Rent$2,638
Other living costs$2,059
Left over$4,639

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $164,790
Federal income tax: −$28,797
Social Security and Medicare: −$12,606
State income tax (CA): −$11,353
Take-home pay: $112,034
Effective tax rate: 32.0%

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

$13,733 gross, minus $4,396 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.

$4,639

Rank every metro for a lawyer

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: San Jose, $10,359/mo.

Lawyer leftover by city →Best cities for lawyers to move to →

Lawyer nearby

Questions

What does a lawyer make in Santa Cruz?

$164,790 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 350 lawyer jobs are in the metro.

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

$4,639 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 5.2× a year of it.

Where nearby would a lawyer keep more?

San Jose, about 36 miles away, leaves $10,359 a month, more than Santa Cruz.