High school teacher · Santa Cruz, CA

High school teacher in Santa Cruz: $1,360/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median high school teacher wage in Santa Cruz at $98,810 a year. About 560 high school teacher jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.84). The 10th percentile is $63,010 and the 90th is $129,100. Pay ranks 38th-highest of 369 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 $1,360 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Hanford, about 138 miles away, at $2,844 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$1,360

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$98,810

$63,010 to $129,100

Rent (1 bd)

$2,638

$3,141 (2 bd)

Employment

560

Location quotient 0.84

Pay rank

38th of 369

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, high school teacher pay of $98,810.

Taxes$2,177
Rent$2,638
Other living costs$2,059
Left over$1,360

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $98,810
Federal income tax: −$13,352
Social Security and Medicare: −$7,559
State income tax (CA): −$5,216
Take-home pay: $72,682
Effective tax rate: 26.4%

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

$8,234 gross, minus $2,177 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.

$1,360

Rank every metro for a high school teacher

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Hanford, $2,844/mo.

High school teacher leftover by city →Best cities for high school teachers to move to →

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Questions

What does a high school teacher make in Santa Cruz?

$98,810 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 560 high school teacher jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a high school teacher in Santa Cruz?

$1,360 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 high school teacher keep more?

Hanford, about 138 miles away, leaves $2,844 a month, more than Santa Cruz.