Question 1

What is the cost of living in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

Accepted Answer

Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA's overall price level (BEA Regional Price Parity) is 109.9, where 100 equals the U.S. average. That means everyday goods, services, and housing cost about 9.9% more than the national average. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom is $4,214/month.

Question 2

What is the average salary in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?

Accepted Answer

Across the 100 BLS-tracked occupation categories with published data in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, the average median wage is $134,092. The single highest-paying occupation here is General Internal Medicine Physicians at $430,970/year (BLS OEWS).

Question 3

What are the highest-paying jobs in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?

Accepted Answer

Based on BLS OEWS data, the top-paying occupations in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA are: 1) General Internal Medicine Physicians at $430,970; 2) Physicians, All Other at $305,610; 3) Family Medicine Physicians at $291,880; 4) Chief Executives at $209,080; 5) Architectural and Engineering Managers at $206,880. Click any occupation above to see the full wage breakdown (10th to 90th percentile).

Question 4

How much does it cost to rent a 2-bedroom apartment in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?

Accepted Answer

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Fair Market Rent (FMR) for a 2-bedroom unit in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA is $4,214/month. FMR is the rent level HUD uses to administer housing assistance and reflects the 40th percentile of standard-quality rentals, updated annually.

Question 5

Where does AffordMap's Santa Cruz-Watsonville data come from?

Accepted Answer

Salary figures come from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS) survey. Cost of living comes from the Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities (RPP). Rent comes from HUD Fair Market Rents. All three are federal datasets, updated annually, and free to use. AffordMap pairs them so you can see what a salary actually buys after local costs.

Rank	Occupation	Category	Median salary	Hourly
61	Web and Digital Interface Designers	Technology	$114K	$54.91/hr
62	Clinical and Counseling Psychologists	Science	$113K	$54.26/hr
63	Transportation, Storage, and Distribution Managers	Management	$113K	$54.12/hr
64	Urban and Regional Planners	Science	$112K	$53.98/hr
65	First-Line Supervisors of Firefighting and Prevention Workers	Public Safety	$112K	$53.64/hr
66	Education Administrators, All Other	Management	$110K	$52.83/hr
67	Computer Occupations, All Other	Technology	$108K	$51.92/hr
68	Project Management Specialists	Business & Finance	$107K	$51.34/hr
69	Occupational Health and Safety Specialists	Science	$106K	$51.17/hr
70	Architects, Except Landscape and Naval	Engineering	$106K	$50.84/hr

Top Paying Jobs in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA

Highest paying careers in Santa Cruz-Watsonville

Affordability snapshot: Santa Cruz-Watsonville