Home / Locations / San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA Metro area profile Top Paying Jobs in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA (2026) San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA has 50 jobs across diverse industries. The highest-paying occupations include Dentists, All Other Specialists ($220,840), Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric ($215,010), Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers ($205,650). The cost of living index is 111.89 (national average = 100). Median 2-bedroom rent is $3,001/month.
111.89
Cost of living index
Highest paying careers in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad Rank Occupation Category Median salary Hourly 1 Dentists, All Other Specialists Healthcare $221K $106.17/hr 2 Orthopedic Surgeons, Except Pediatric Healthcare $215K $103.37/hr 3 Airline Pilots, Copilots, and Flight Engineers Transportation $206K $/hr 4 Natural Sciences Managers Management $200K $95.96/hr 5 Computer and Information Systems Managers Management $193K $92.96/hr 6 Podiatrists Healthcare $187K $89.91/hr 7 Architectural and Engineering Managers Management $186K $89.21/hr 8 Dentists, General Healthcare $177K $85.08/hr 9 Marketing Managers Management $172K $82.49/hr 10 Computer Hardware Engineers Engineering $169K $81.36/hr 11 Financial Managers Management $168K $80.91/hr 12 Managers, All Other Management $167K $80.29/hr 13 Power Distributors and Dispatchers Production & Manufacturing $167K $80.1/hr 14 Biological Science Teachers, Postsecondary Education $166K $/hr 15 Lawyers Legal $165K $79.33/hr 16 Pharmacists Healthcare $164K $78.78/hr 17 Human Resources Managers Management $163K $78.47/hr 18 Criminal Justice and Law Enforcement Teachers, Postsecondary Education $163K $/hr 19 Nurse Practitioners Healthcare $162K $77.9/hr 20 Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary Education $161K $/hr 21 Medical and Health Services Managers Management $161K $77.23/hr 22 Radiation Therapists Healthcare $160K $76.73/hr 23 Software Developers Technology $159K $76.56/hr 24 Veterinarians Healthcare $158K $76.09/hr 25 Education Administrators, Kindergarten through Secondary Management $157K $/hr
Affordability snapshot: San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad Cost of living vs. national average +11.9% more expensive
Studio apartment (FMR) $/mo
1-bedroom apartment (FMR) $/mo
2-bedroom apartment (FMR) $3,001/mo
3-bedroom apartment (FMR) $/mo
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, HUD Fair Market Rents, BEA Regional Price Parities.
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