Elementary school teacher · Santa Cruz, CA
Elementary school teacher in Santa Cruz: $1,383/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median elementary school teacher wage in Santa Cruz at $99,260 a year. About 1,000 elementary school teacher jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 1.14). The 10th percentile is $62,070 and the 90th is $126,150. Pay ranks 22nd-highest of 377 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 3.1× 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 $1,383 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Hanford, about 138 miles away, at $2,664 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
Left over each month
$1,383
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$99,260
$62,070 to $126,150
Rent (1 bd)
$2,638
$3,141 (2 bd)
Employment
1,000
Location quotient 1.14
Pay rank
22nd of 377
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
3.1×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, elementary school teacher pay of $99,260.
- Taxes$2,192
- Rent$2,638
- Other living costs$2,059
- Left over$1,383
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $99,260
- Federal income tax
- −$13,451
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$7,593
- State income tax (CA)
- −$5,258
- Take-home pay
- $72,957
- Effective tax rate
- 26.5%
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
$8,272 gross, minus $2,192 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.
$1,383
Rank every metro for a elementary school teacher
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Hanford, $2,664/mo.
Elementary school teacher leftover by city →Best cities for elementary teachers to move to →Elementary school teacher nearby
Other jobs in Santa Cruz
Questions
What does a elementary school teacher make in Santa Cruz?
$99,260 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,000 elementary school teacher jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a elementary school teacher in Santa Cruz?
$1,383 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 3.1× a year of it.
Where nearby would a elementary school teacher keep more?
Hanford, about 138 miles away, leaves $2,664 a month, more than Santa Cruz.