Real Estate Sales Agents Salary
Real Estate Sales Agents in California make a median of $57,560 a year, or about $27.68 an hour. The range runs from $40K at the entry level to $111K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.14), so that salary is closer to $54,230 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,471/month, about 65.7% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across California. Jump to a metro for precise data:
So what does $58K get you in California?
About real estate sales agents
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What this looks like in California
Real estate sales agents pay in California tracks closely to the national median, $58K locally vs. $53K nationwide, a 9% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,471/month, which is 63.7% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 6% above the national average (BEA RPP 106.14), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, California
Entry-level real estate sales agents (10th percentile) start around $40K. Mid-career wages sit at $58K. Top earners bring in $111K or more, a $71K spread from bottom to top.
Real Estate Sales Agents salary by metro in California
21 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $116K | +101% | N/A |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $96K | +67% | N/A |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | $92K | +59% | 530 |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $88K | +54% | N/A |
| Redding | $83K | +45% | 70 |
| Yuba City | $77K | +35% | 90 |
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $71K | +23% | 2,100 |
| Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario | $64K | +11% | 2,080 |
| Vallejo | $64K | +11% | 70 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $63K | +9% | 1,350 |
| Salinas | $62K | +8% | 150 |
| Modesto | $61K | +5% | 140 |
| Stockton-Lodi | $60K | +4% | 210 |
| Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom | $60K | +3% | 900 |
| Fresno | $58K | +1% | 440 |
| Santa Maria-Santa Barbara | $58K | +1% | 140 |
| Bakersfield-Delano | $57K | -1% | 240 |
| Chico | $57K | -1% | 50 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | $52K | -10% | 70 |
| Visalia | $47K | -18% | 100 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $47K | -18% | 7,340 |
Showing 1–10 of 21 metros
Compare to other states
Track real estate sales agents salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when California numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a real estate sales agent afford a 2BR apartment alone in California?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $58K, rent takes 63.7% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $2,471/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 real estate sales agents in California?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new real estate sales agents typically earn — is $40K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,409/month. At HUD’s $2,471/month FMR, rent would take 103% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is real estate sales agent a high-paying job in California?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $58K locally vs. $53K nationally, a 9% difference.
How does California compare to the national average for real estate sales agents?
California pays $58K median vs. the U.S. average of $53K — that’s +9%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.14), the purchasing-power equivalent is $54K — still ahead of the national median.
How much do real estate sales agents make in California?
The median is $57,560 a year, that works out to about $28 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $40,150, and experienced real estate sales agents can clear $111,320. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $58K enough to live in California?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,879/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,471/month, which eats 63.7% 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 real estate sales agents salary go in California?
California has a Regional Price Parity of 106.14 (100 is the national average). Prices are above average here, so your dollar buys less than the same salary would in a cheaper metro. After cost-of-living adjustment, the median real estate sales agents salary is worth about $54,230 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do real estate sales agents 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.