Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers Salary
In San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX, heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers earn $58,590 at the median, or about $28.17 an hour. The range runs from $38K at the entry level to $82K for experienced workers. Cost of living is below average (RPP 94.72), which stretches that salary to about $61,856 in buying power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $1,426/month, about 35% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $59K get you in San Antonio-New Braunfels?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by San Antonio-New Braunfels’s Regional Price Parity (94.72). 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels
Heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers pay in San Antonio-New Braunfels tracks closely to the national median, $59K locally vs. $61K nationwide, a 4% difference. Rent runs $1,426/month for a 2-bedroom (HUD FMR), taking 34.8% of the median take-home. That's within the 30% rule, though not by much. Regional Price Parity sits at 94.72 (national = 100), meaning everyday costs run about 5% cheaper here. Your dollar stretches further than the headline salary suggests. Pay and costs are both near average, leaving limited margin for savings at the median wage.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers in metros near San Antonio-New Braunfels, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington | $60K | $58K |
| Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands | $59K | $60K |
| Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos | $61K | $62K |
| El Paso | $47K | $53K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX
Entry-level heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers (10th percentile) start around $38K. Mid-career wages sit at $59K. Top earners bring in $82K or more, a $44K 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)
Track heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers salary changes
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Frequently asked questions
Can a heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installer afford a 2BR apartment alone in San Antonio-New Braunfels?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $59K, rent takes 34.8% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $1,426/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,200/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 San Antonio-New Braunfels?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers typically earn — is $38K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,278/month. At HUD’s $1,426/month FMR, rent would take 63% 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $59K locally vs. $61K nationally, a 4% difference.
How does San Antonio-New Braunfels compare to the national average for heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers?
San Antonio-New Braunfels pays $59K median vs. the U.S. average of $61K — that’s -4%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 94.72), the purchasing-power equivalent is $62K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers make in San Antonio-New Braunfels, TX?
The median is $58,590 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $37,960, and experienced heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and installers can clear $82,400. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $59K enough to live in San Antonio-New Braunfels?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $4,093/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $1,426/month, which eats 34.8% 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 San Antonio-New Braunfels?
San Antonio-New Braunfels has a Regional Price Parity of 94.72 (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 $61,856 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.