City comparison
Salinas, CA vs San Antonio, TX
What a paycheck is really worth in each city: prices, rent and state taxes.
Key findings
- Prices in Salinas, CA are 15.1% higher than in San Antonio, TX. Someone earning $100,000 in San Antonio, TX would need about $115,100 in Salinas, CA to live the same way.
- Rent is the bigger story: a typical 1-bedroom costs $2,232 a month in Salinas, CA versus $1,177 in San Antonio, TX. On $100,000, that's 36% of take-home pay in Salinas, CA and 18% in San Antonio, TX.
- On $100,000, estimated state income tax is about $5,070 a year higher in Salinas, CA than in San Antonio, TX.
- For federal employees, locality pay changes a GS-13 step 1 salary by −18.8% moving from Salinas, CA to San Antonio, TX ($133,060 → $108,001), while prices change by −13.1%. Net effect of the transfer: −6.6% in real buying power.
- Salinas, CA: price level 109.0 (much pricier)
- San Antonio, TX: price level 94.7 (cheaper)
Map drawn from Census Bureau state boundaries and metro locations9,10; dot colours show BEA price levels2.
Side by side
| Salinas, CA | San Antonio, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| Price level (U.S. = 100)2 | 109.0 | 94.7 |
| $100,000 is worth, in the other city2 | $86,862 in San Antonio | $115,125 in Salinas |
| Typical 1-bedroom rent3 | $2,232/mo | $1,177/mo |
| Take-home on $100,00014,15,8 | $74,110 | $79,180 |
| State income tax on $100,000 (estimate)8 | $5,070 (CA) | $0 (TX) |
| Rent burden on $100,000 | 36% | 18% |
| Median pay, all jobs4 | $47,380 | $47,010 |
| Federal locality pay area7 | San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA | San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX |
Rent areas: Salinas, CA MSA and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX HUD Metro FMR Area. Metro areas: Salinas, CA and San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX.
What costs more or less
| Price level (U.S. = 100) | Salinas | San Antonio |
|---|---|---|
| Housing (rent) | 145.7 | 94.6 |
| Goods | 105.2 | 93.8 |
| Utilities | 154.2 | 82.2 |
| Other services | 100.3 | 96.2 |
| Overall | 109.0 | 94.7 |
Moving with the same $100,000 salary
Salinas, CA → San Antonio, TX
Same pay goes further
Buying power +15.1%; rent takes 18% of take-home; state tax −$5,070/yr.
100 Strong offer
San Antonio, TX → Salinas, CA
Same pay buys less
Buying power −13.1%; rent takes 36% of take-home; state tax +$5,070/yr.
21 Weak offer
On the GS pay scale?
Salinas, CA is in the San Jose-San Francisco-Oakland, CA pay area; San Antonio, TX is in San Antonio-New Braunfels-Pearsall, TX. The last column shows what a transfer from Salinas, CA to San Antonio, TX at the same grade and step does to real buying power.
| Grade5,2 | Salinas, CA | San Antonio, TX | Real change, Salinas → San Antonio |
|---|---|---|---|
| GS-9 step 1 | $77,161 | $62,629 | −6.6% |
| GS-11 step 1 | $93,358 | $75,776 | −6.6% |
| GS-12 step 1 | $111,896 | $90,823 | −6.6% |
| GS-13 step 1 | $133,060 | $108,001 | −6.6% |
| GS-14 step 1 | $157,236 | $127,624 | −6.6% |
Pay for common jobs
| Median annual pay4 | Salinas, CA | San Antonio, TX | San Antonio pay in Salinas dollars |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education | $100,220 | $61,720 | $71,055 (−29.1%) |
| Software Developers | $135,160 | $128,430 | $147,855 (+9.4%) |
| Accountants and Auditors | $83,810 | $78,650 | $90,546 (+8.0%) |
| Registered Nurses | $134,910 | $94,370 | $108,644 (−19.5%) |
"Not published" means BLS doesn't release an estimate for that job in that metro.