Mechanical engineer · Santa Maria, CA

Mechanical engineer in Santa Maria: $2,750/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median mechanical engineer wage in Santa Maria at $121,130 a year. About 390 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.02). The 10th percentile is $84,480 and the 90th is $172,080. Pay ranks 27th-highest of 345 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 4.3× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,323/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $2,750 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Hanford, about 107 miles away, at $4,293 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$2,750

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$121,130

$84,480 to $172,080

Rent (1 bd)

$2,323

$2,765 (2 bd)

Employment

390

Location quotient 1.02

Pay rank

27th of 345

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

4.3×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, mechanical engineer pay of $121,130.

Taxes$2,906
Rent$2,323
Other living costs$2,115
Left over$2,750

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $121,130
Federal income tax: −$18,318
Social Security and Medicare: −$9,266
State income tax (CA): −$7,292
Take-home pay: $86,253
Effective tax rate: 28.8%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,323
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $544
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,438

Left over each month

$10,094 gross, minus $2,906 in tax and $4,438 in living costs.

$2,750

Rank every metro for a mechanical engineer

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Hanford, $4,293/mo.

Mechanical engineer leftover by city →Best cities for mechanical engineers to move to →

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Questions

What does a mechanical engineer make in Santa Maria?

$121,130 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 390 mechanical engineer jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a mechanical engineer in Santa Maria?

$2,750 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,323, and pay covers 4.3× a year of it.

Where nearby would a mechanical engineer keep more?

Hanford, about 107 miles away, leaves $4,293 a month, more than Santa Maria.