San Antonio mechanical engineer salary: rankings and context
Monthly take-home on that median is roughly US$7,500; local prices sit at COL 100, so its buying power is about US$104,600.
How San Antonio compares with United States and TX
Directly above San Antonio is Portland (US$105,020); directly below is Philadelphia (US$104,410). The full range runs from US$99,500 in Jacksonville to US$168,030 in San Jose.
Compared only with other TX metros — Houston (US$125,350), Dallas (US$105,420) and Austin (US$106,690) — San Antonio ranks 4th of 4, 5% under the US$110,500 state average.
Cost of living and take-home in San Antonio
With a COL index of 100, there is little difference between headline pay and price-adjusted pay (US$104,600).
Adjusting for prices does not move San Antonio in the ranking: it is 14th of 21 on both cash and buying power.
Run the median through our simplified tax model (14% effective) and about US$7,500 lands each month. Budget US$1,650 for a modeled 1-bedroom — 22% of pay — and other modeled costs, and roughly US$4,030 remains.
Other TX options for mechanical engineers
In Houston — also in TX — the median is US$125,350 (+20% vs San Antonio), and the modeled budget leaves US$1,350 more each month.
Dallas (also in TX) pays US$105,420, 1% more than San Antonio; modeled monthly leftover is US$60 higher.
A mechanical engineer moving from San Antonio to New York (similar cost level, COL 100) would see the median rise 5% to US$109,990, with US$350 more left over monthly in our model.
Other San Antonio jobs compared with mechanical engineer
Lawyer is the best-paid tracked role in San Antonio at US$137,690; mechanical engineer comes 3rd of 9.
Closest neighbours in the San Antonio list: Software Engineer at US$128,430 (+23%) and Data Scientist at US$103,290 (-1%).
Where San Antonio stands for junior and senior mechanical engineers
Entry-level mechanical engineers fare better here (14th of 21 at the 10th percentile, US$74,340) than senior ones (18th at the 90th, US$159,670).
For the top 10% of earners, San Jose leads with US$217,530 at the 90th percentile, +36% against San Antonio.
Spread between low and high mechanical engineer pay in San Antonio
Pay is spread out: US$74,340 at the 10th percentile to US$159,670 at the 90th (2.1×). Level and setting matter more than the city average here.