Ship Engineers Salary
The median pay for a ship engineers in California is $97,660/year ($46.95/hour), per BLS data. The range runs from $81K at the entry level to $169K for experienced workers. Prices run high here (RPP 106.14), so that salary is closer to $92,011 in real purchasing power. A 2-bedroom apartment runs $2,471/month, about 40.3% of take-home, which is tight.
Statewide average. Salary and cost of living vary significantly across California. Jump to a metro for precise data:
Where the paycheck goes
What $98K actually covers in California, month by month
About ship engineers
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What this looks like in California
Pay for ship engineers in California runs about 11% below the U.S. median of $110K. The catch: housing math doesn't keep up. A 2-bedroom at the HUD median rents for $2,471/month, which is 41.3% 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. That combination, below-market pay with high housing costs, makes this a financially demanding market for ship engineerss.
Compensation breakdown
Annual earnings by percentile, California
Entry-level ship engineers (10th percentile) start around $81K. Mid-career wages sit at $98K. Top earners bring in $169K or more, a $88K spread from bottom to top.
Ship Engineers salary by metro in California
3 metro areas with BLS data, ranked by median pay
| Metro area | Median salary | vs. state | Employment |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | $109K | +11% | 140 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | $85K | -13% | 70 |
| Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim | $85K | -13% | N/A |
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Track ship engineers salary changes
BLS updates this data quarterly. We'll email you when California numbers change.
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Quick answers
The stuff people actually ask about this job
Can a ship engineer afford a 2BR apartment alone in California?
It’s a stretch — at the median salary of $98K, rent takes 41.3% 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 $1,800/month in rent — so roommates or a 1-bedroom would ease the math significantly.
What’s the entry-level salary for ship engineers in California?
The 10th-percentile wage — what new ship engineers typically earn — is $81K/year. Take-home on that works out to about $5,132/month. At HUD’s $2,471/month FMR, rent would take 48% of that take-home — above the 30% guideline, so a 1-bedroom or shared housing is likely necessary starting out.
Is ship engineer a high-paying job in California?
Local pay runs 11% below the national median — $98K here vs. $110K nationally.
How does California compare to the national average for ship engineers?
California pays $98K median vs. the U.S. average of $110K — that’s -11%. After adjusting for local cost of living (RPP 106.14), the purchasing-power equivalent is $92K — below the national median.
How much do ship engineers make in California?
The median is $97,660 a year, that works out to about $47 an hour. But the range is wide: entry-level workers start around $80,820, and experienced ship engineers can clear $169,280. These are BLS numbers, based on employer-reported data, not self-reported surveys.
Is $98K enough to live in California?
On that salary, you'd take home roughly $5,989/month after taxes. A 2-bedroom here rents for about $2,471/month, which eats 41.3% 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 ship engineers 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 ship engineers salary is worth about $92,011 in national-average purchasing power.
Where do ship engineers 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.