Mechanical engineer · Los Angeles, CA
Mechanical engineer in Los Angeles: $2,693/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median mechanical engineer wage in Los Angeles at $123,900 a year. About 8,780 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.73). The 10th percentile is $77,040 and the 90th is $173,340. Pay ranks 21st-highest of 345 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 4.5× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,273/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,693 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is El Centro, about 179 miles away, at $4,477 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$2,693
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$123,900
$77,040 to $173,340
Rent (1 bd)
$2,273
$2,706 (2 bd)
Employment
8,780
Location quotient 0.73
Pay rank
21st of 345
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
4.5×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, mechanical engineer pay of $123,900.
- Taxes$2,958
- Rent$2,273
- Other$2,401
- Left$2,693
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $123,900
- Federal income tax
- −$18,470
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$9,478
- State income tax (CA)
- −$7,550
- Take-home pay
- $88,402
- Effective tax rate
- 28.7%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $2,273
- Groceries
- $476
- Getting around
- $674
- Healthcare
- $536
- Utilities and internet
- $298
- Everything else
- $417
- Total spending
- $4,674
After tax and rent
$2,693 left/mo
Rank every metro for a mechanical engineer
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: El Centro, $4,477/mo.
Mechanical engineer leftover by city →Best cities for mechanical engineers to move to →Mechanical engineer nearby
Compare Los Angeles with another city
Other jobs in Los Angeles
- 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
- Firefighter
Questions
What does a mechanical engineer make in Los Angeles?
$123,900 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 8,780 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a mechanical engineer in Los Angeles?
$2,693 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,273, and pay covers 4.5× a year of it.
Where nearby would a mechanical engineer keep more?
El Centro, about 179 miles away, leaves $4,477 a month, more than Los Angeles.