Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary
In Brunswick-St. Simons, GA, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn $49,920 at the median, or about $24 an hour. The range runs from $33K at the entry level to $76K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 87.71), which stretches that salary to about $56,915 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,293/month, about 38% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $50K get you in Brunswick-St. Simons?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Brunswick-St. Simons’s Regional Price Parity (87.71). Rent from HUD Fair Market Rents. Taxes estimated for single filer, standard deduction. * Healthcare is the employee-paid share only (premiums + out-of-pocket). Actual costs vary by coverage type: employer-sponsored, ACA marketplace, or uninsured.
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What this looks like in Brunswick-St. Simons
Pay for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in Brunswick-St. Simons runs about 18% below the U.S. median of $61K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $1,293/month, which is 38.9% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Regional Price Parity sits at 87.71 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 12% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installerss.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in metros near Brunswick-St. Simons, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell | $59K | $59K |
| Augusta-Richmond County | $49K | $53K |
| Savannah | $52K | $54K |
| Gainesville | $53K | $55K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Brunswick-St. Simons, GA
Entry-level heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (10th percentile) start around $33K. Mid-career wages sit at $50K. Top earners bring in $76K or more, a $43K spread from bottom to top.
Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $84K | +38% | 400 |
| Alaska | $77K | +27% | 610 |
| Illinois | $77K | +27% | 9,740 |
| Massachusetts | $77K | +27% | 8,200 |
| Connecticut | $77K | +26% | 3,800 |
| Minnesota | $76K | +25% | 4,200 |
| Washington | $76K | +24% | 7,370 |
| North Dakota | $74K | +22% | 970 |
| New Jersey | $74K | +22% | 10,330 |
| New York | $74K | +22% | 24,430 |
| New Hampshire | $74K | +21% | 2,560 |
| California | $73K | +19% | 35,130 |
| Maryland | $70K | +15% | 8,560 |
| Rhode Island | $67K | +10% | 1,450 |
| Hawaii | $65K | +7% | 1,300 |
| Colorado | $65K | +7% | 8,940 |
| Maine | $63K | +4% | 2,250 |
| Oregon | $63K | +3% | 3,980 |
| Ohio | $63K | +2% | 14,150 |
| Pennsylvania | $62K | +2% | 15,880 |
| Delaware | $62K | +2% | 1,730 |
| Vermont | $62K | +2% | 970 |
| Wisconsin | $62K | +1% | 6,630 |
| South Dakota | $61K | +1% | 1,610 |
| Montana | $61K | -0% | 1,230 |
| Michigan | $61K | -0% | 12,590 |
| Iowa | $61K | -1% | 3,840 |
| Nevada | $61K | -1% | 4,170 |
| Kansas | $60K | -1% | 3,770 |
| Indiana | $60K | -1% | 8,530 |
| Missouri | $60K | -2% | 7,220 |
| Nebraska | $60K | -2% | 3,020 |
| Virginia | $60K | -2% | 14,690 |
| Arizona | $59K | -3% | 10,860 |
| Utah | $59K | -4% | 5,580 |
| Louisiana | $59K | -4% | 5,380 |
| Kentucky | $59K | -4% | 5,100 |
| Texas | $58K | -5% | 34,730 |
| Oklahoma | $58K | -6% | 5,650 |
| North Carolina | $57K | -6% | 15,230 |
| Florida | $57K | -7% | 39,160 |
| South Carolina | $57K | -7% | 6,920 |
| Georgia | $56K | -8% | 12,290 |
| Idaho | $56K | -8% | 4,550 |
| Tennessee | $55K | -9% | 9,740 |
| Wyoming | $55K | -10% | 690 |
| New Mexico | $50K | -18% | 1,950 |
| West Virginia | $49K | -20% | 1,690 |
| Mississippi | $49K | -20% | 2,700 |
| Alabama | $48K | -21% | 8,260 |
| Arkansas | $48K | -21% | 4,960 |
Showing 1–10 of 51 (all 50 states + DC)
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Frequently asked questions
Can a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer afford a 2BR apartment alone in Brunswick-St. Simons?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $50K, rent takes 38.9% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,293/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,000/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in Brunswick-St. Simons?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers typically earn — is $33K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $1,956/month. At HUD’s $1,293/month FMR, rent would take 66% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer a high-paying job in Brunswick-St. Simons?
Local pay runs 18% below the national median — $50K here vs. $61K nationally. Cost of living is 12% below the national average, which narrows that gap in real purchasing power.
How does Brunswick-St. Simons compare to the national average for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers?
Brunswick-St. Simons pays $50K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -18%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 87.71), the purchasing-power equivalent is $57K — below the national median.
How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make in Brunswick-St. Simons, GA?
The median is $49,920 a year, that works out to about $24 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $32,600, and experienced heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers can clear $75,810. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $50K enough to live in Brunswick-St. Simons?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,322/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,293/month, which eats 38.9% of your paycheck. That's above the 30% rule of thumb, housing will be a stretch at the median salary, though you can manage with roommates or a smaller place.
How far does a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary go in Brunswick-St. Simons?
Brunswick-St. Simons has a Regional Price Parity of 87.71 (100 is the national average). That's below average, your money stretches further here than the raw salary number suggests. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary is worth about $56,915 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers get paid the most?
The table above ranks every state by median pay for this role. Keep in mind that the highest-paying states tend to have the highest costs of living, so the top salary doesn't always mean the most money in your pocket.