Software developer · Santa Cruz, CA

Software developer in Santa Cruz: $4,251/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median software developer wage in Santa Cruz at $156,910 a year. About 540 software developer jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.51). The 10th percentile is $92,520 and the 90th is $209,260. Pay ranks 13th-highest of 375 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.0× 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 $4,251 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Hanford, about 138 miles away, at $6,434 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$4,251

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$156,910

$92,520 to $209,260

Rent (1 bd)

$2,638

$3,141 (2 bd)

Employment

540

Location quotient 0.51

Pay rank

13th of 375

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

5.0×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, software developer pay of $156,910.

Taxes$4,127
Rent$2,638
Other living costs$2,059
Left over$4,251

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $156,910
Federal income tax: −$26,905
Social Security and Medicare: −$12,004
State income tax (CA): −$10,620
Take-home pay: $107,381
Effective tax rate: 31.6%

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

$13,076 gross, minus $4,127 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.

$4,251

Rank every metro for a software developer

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Hanford, $6,434/mo.

Software developer leftover by city →Best cities for software developers to move to →

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Questions

What does a software developer make in Santa Cruz?

$156,910 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 540 software developer jobs are in the metro.

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

$4,251 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 5.0× a year of it.

Where nearby would a software developer keep more?

Hanford, about 138 miles away, leaves $6,434 a month, more than Santa Cruz.