Real Estate Sales Agents Salary
Real Estate Sales Agents in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA make a median of $51,530 a year, or about $24.78 an hour. The range runs from $43K at the entry level to $79K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 109.9), so that salary is closer to $46,888 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $4,214/month, about 125.2% of take-home, which is tight.
So what does $52K get you in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Groceries, utilities, transportation, and healthcare scaled from national averages by Santa Cruz-Watsonville’s Regional Price Parity (109.9). 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.
About real estate sales agents
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What this looks like in Santa Cruz-Watsonville
Real estate sales agents pay in Santa Cruz-Watsonville tracks closely to the national median, $52K locally vs. $53K nationwide, a 2% difference. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $4,214/month, which is 120.2% of the median worker's take-home, past the 30% guideline most planners use. Cost-of-living overall is 10% above the national average (BEA RPP 109.9), so groceries and services cost more too. Use the affordability calculator above to model your specific situation.
Compared to nearby metros
Median pay for real estate sales agents in metros near Santa Cruz-Watsonville, adjusted for local cost of living.
| Metro | Median pay | COL-adjusted |
|---|---|---|
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | $96K | $87K |
| Santa Rosa-Petaluma | $116K | $107K |
| San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles | $88K | $81K |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $47K | $41K |
COL-adjusted = median salary ÷ (BEA Regional Price Parity ÷ 100). Expresses purchasing power in national-average dollars.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Entry-level real estate sales agents (10th percentile) start around $43K. Mid-career wages sit at $52K. Top earners bring in $79K or more, a $35K spread from bottom to top.
Real Estate Sales Agents pay across states
Median income ranked highest to lowest, compared to the national figure
View Real Estate Sales Agents salary in all states
| State | Median salary | vs. national | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Columbia | $124K | +134% | 590 |
| New York | $103K | +95% | 8,660 |
| New Jersey | $100K | +89% | N/A |
| Alaska | $89K | +69% | 170 |
| Nevada | $80K | +51% | 1,490 |
| Washington | $79K | +50% | 5,150 |
| Montana | $79K | +50% | 370 |
| New Mexico | $76K | +44% | 550 |
| North Dakota | $74K | +40% | N/A |
| South Dakota | $65K | +23% | 640 |
| Virginia | $64K | +21% | 5,750 |
| Colorado | $64K | +21% | 6,120 |
| Oregon | $62K | +17% | 1,940 |
| Alabama | $61K | +15% | 1,580 |
| Rhode Island | $60K | +14% | N/A |
| Illinois | $59K | +12% | 6,030 |
| West Virginia | $59K | +12% | 370 |
| Arizona | $59K | +11% | 5,610 |
| Kentucky | $59K | +11% | 1,120 |
| Wisconsin | $58K | +10% | 5,680 |
| Michigan | $58K | +10% | 2,210 |
| New Hampshire | $58K | +9% | 240 |
| California | $58K | +9% | 17,500 |
| Maine | $57K | +8% | 740 |
| South Carolina | $57K | +7% | 4,930 |
| Pennsylvania | $56K | +6% | 5,510 |
| Maryland | $53K | -0% | 2,940 |
| North Carolina | $51K | -3% | 7,960 |
| Utah | $51K | -4% | 4,240 |
| Wyoming | $50K | -5% | 300 |
| Florida | $49K | -7% | 26,790 |
| Oklahoma | $48K | -9% | 3,710 |
| Nebraska | $47K | -11% | 1,400 |
| Delaware | $47K | -11% | 900 |
| Indiana | $47K | -11% | 3,680 |
| Connecticut | $47K | -11% | N/A |
| Georgia | $47K | -12% | 9,940 |
| Minnesota | $46K | -12% | 2,530 |
| Tennessee | $46K | -12% | 2,360 |
| Ohio | $46K | -12% | 5,130 |
| Hawaii | $46K | -13% | 690 |
| Louisiana | $46K | -13% | 1,940 |
| Texas | $46K | -13% | 22,250 |
| Missouri | $44K | -17% | 1,590 |
| Idaho | $40K | -25% | 1,170 |
| Kansas | $40K | -25% | 1,450 |
| Mississippi | $40K | -25% | 670 |
| Arkansas | $38K | -28% | 1,640 |
Showing 1–10 of 48 states
BLS does not publish data for every state when sample sizes are too small
Track real estate sales agents salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when Santa Cruz-Watsonville numbers change.
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Frequently asked questions
Can a real estate sales agent afford a 2BR apartment alone in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $52K, rent takes 120.2% of take-home pay. A 2-bedroom at the HUD Fair Market Rent runs $4,214/month. The 30% guideline puts the comfortable ceiling at roughly $1,100/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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new real estate sales agents typically earn — is $43K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $2,605/month. At HUD’s $4,214/month FMR, rent would take 162% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Pay here is roughly in line with the national average — $52K locally vs. $53K nationally, a 2% difference.
How does Santa Cruz-Watsonville compare to the national average for real estate sales agents?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville pays $52K median vs. the U.S. average of $53K — that’s -2%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 109.9), the purchasing-power equivalent is $47K — below the national median.
How much do real estate sales agents make in Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA?
The median is $51,530 a year, that works out to about $25 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $43,410, and experienced real estate sales agents can clear $78,560. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $52K enough to live in Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $3,505/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $4,214/month, which eats 120.2% 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 Santa Cruz-Watsonville?
Santa Cruz-Watsonville has a Regional Price Parity of 109.9 (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 $46,888 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.