Pharmacist · Santa Cruz, CA
Pharmacist in Santa Cruz: $4,499/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median pharmacist wage in Santa Cruz at $161,940 a year. About 170 pharmacist jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.85). The 10th percentile is $131,330 and the 90th is $220,760. Pay ranks 31st-highest of 385 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.1× 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 $4,499 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Carson City, about 192 miles away, at $6,978 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$4,499
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$161,940
$131,330 to $220,760
Rent (1 bd)
$2,638
$3,141 (2 bd)
Employment
170
Location quotient 0.85
Pay rank
31st of 385
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
5.1×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, pharmacist pay of $161,940.
- Taxes$4,299
- Rent$2,638
- Other living costs$2,059
- Left over$4,499
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $161,940
- Federal income tax
- −$28,113
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$12,388
- State income tax (CA)
- −$11,088
- Take-home pay
- $110,351
- Effective tax rate
- 31.9%
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
$13,495 gross, minus $4,299 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.
$4,499
Rank every metro for a pharmacist
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Carson City, $6,978/mo.
Pharmacist leftover by city →Best cities for pharmacists to move to →Pharmacist nearby
Other jobs in Santa Cruz
- Registered nurse
- Software developer
- Elementary school teacher
- High school teacher
- Accountant / auditor
- Truck driver (heavy)
- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
- Physician
- Construction manager
- Data scientist
- Firefighter
- Mechanical engineer
Questions
What does a pharmacist make in Santa Cruz?
$161,940 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 170 pharmacist jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a pharmacist in Santa Cruz?
$4,499 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 5.1× a year of it.
Where nearby would a pharmacist keep more?
Carson City, about 192 miles away, leaves $6,978 a month, more than Santa Cruz.