California · Salary guide
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA CPA Salary
CPA and accountant pay across the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro — percentiles and role-by-role estimates vs the national benchmark.
Median CPA pay · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro
$96,340
Midpoint for accountants & auditors
Typical range
$76.7K–$125.2K
Middle 50% (25th–75th percentile)
Top earners
$157.7K+
90th percentile and above
vs. national
+15.1%
California · vs U.S. median
Verified BLS wage benchmark for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro · updated June 2026
How much does a CPA make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
The verified BLS wage measurement for accountants and auditors in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro. The CPA-license premium layered on top is a labeled estimate.
vs. the U.S. benchmark
+15.1%
The San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro vs the national median and -0.7% vs California statewide.
California guideLicensed CPA · modeled
$107,900
A modeled ~12% credential premium on the local median — the license consistently pays more.
What the license is worthTop earners · 90th pct
$157.7K+
The BLS-measured 90th percentile for accountants in this metro — model your own with your role and experience.
Model your paySan Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro
verified local median
$96,340
+15.1%California statewide
verified state median
$97,050
+16.0%National benchmark
verified
$83,680
base
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad runs +15.1% vs the national median and -0.7% vs California statewide. All three are direct BLS wage measurements for accountants and auditors at their own area level.
Cost of living
Real pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
What the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad median actually buys once local prices are accounted for. Nominal pay is the verified BLS figure; the buying-power view divides it by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parity (2024) for the metro.
Nominal
$96.3K
Price level
111.9/100
Real pay
$86.1K
Local prices run 12% above the national average, so some of that pay is absorbed by higher local costs — San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad slips 65 places once adjusted for buying power.
Real pay · BEA-adjustedA high nominal salary in an expensive metro can buy less than a smaller salary in a low-cost one. Real pay reorders the map by buying power — but it is not take-home pay: it excludes taxes, benefits, and housing choices.
See real pay across all metros →Best ways to use this page
- 1View percentiles
Find your percentile
See where your pay sits across the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad range, from entry level to top earners.
- 2See pay by role
Check your role
Pay climbs steeply from staff to controller. See the estimate for your title in this metro.
- 3Open the calculator
Model your own number
Set role, experience, license, and employer for a tailored estimate — equity and bonus broken out.
- 4Submit your pay
Add your salary
Anonymous, two minutes. Submissions are how role- and employer-level pay becomes real data.
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro · Accountants & auditors
Verified$46.32/hr median hourly · $103,810 average
Percentiles · San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Verified| Percentile | Annual | Hourly | What it means |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile | $62,520 | $30.06/hr | Entry-level / lower pay |
| 25th percentile | $76,690 | $36.87/hr | Below median |
| Median (50th) | $96,340 | $46.32/hr | Typical pay |
| 75th percentile | $125,190 | $60.19/hr | Experienced / senior |
| 90th percentile | $157,720 | $75.83/hr | Top earners |
By role
CPA roles in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Median estimates by role, scaled to the metro wage level.
Median pay by role
In the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro, estimated pay runs from $136,800 (Accounting Manager) to $375,700 (Chief Financial Officer) — about 2.7× across the ladder.
| Role / level | Low | Est. median | High |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Financial Officer | $375,700 | ||
| Partner | $346,800 | ||
| Director of Finance | $236,000 | ||
| Senior Manager | $197,500 | ||
| Controller | $187,900 | ||
| Tax Manager | $149,300 | ||
| Audit Manager | $149,300 | ||
| Accounting Manager | $136,800 | ||
| Audit Senior | $106,000 | ||
| Tax Senior | $104,000 | ||
| Senior Accountant | $98,300 | ||
| Audit Associate | $80,000 | ||
| Tax Associate | $79,000 | ||
| Staff Accountant | $75,100 |
Role multipliers applied to the BLS national median for Accountants & Auditors. The low–high band is a modeled typical range, not a guaranteed offer.
By experience
CPA pay by experience in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
The metro median scaled across experience bands, with the modeled CPA-license premium. Estimate.
| Experience | Est. median | CPA-licensed (est.) |
|---|---|---|
| 0–1 years | $82,900 | $92,800 |
| 2–4 years | $92,500 | $103,600 |
| 5–7 years | $104,000 | $116,500 |
| 8–12 years | $115,600 | $129,500 |
| 13–20 years | $127,200 | $142,500 |
| 20+ years | $136,800 | $153,200 |
Experience multipliers on the area median; CPA column adds a modeled +12% credential premium.
By employer
CPA pay by employer type in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
Big 4, national, regional, and local firms vs. industry — at a manager-level base on the metro median. Estimate.
| Employer type | Est. manager-level pay | vs. industry |
|---|---|---|
| Big 4 firm | $167,200 | +7.7% |
| National firm | $156,800 | +1.0% |
| Regional firm | $146,300 | -5.8% |
| Local firm | $137,400 | -11.5% |
| Industry / corporate | $155,300 | — |
Employer-type multipliers applied at a manager-level base on the BLS national median.
What affects pay
What drives CPA pay in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad
The same factors move pay within a metro. Use the calculator to model your own.
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad market
San Diego combines a large military and defense presence with biotech, telecommunications, and tourism. Pay runs above the national level, offset by a high California cost of living.
Cost of labor
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad wages track the local cost of living and employer competition — denser, higher-cost metros pay above the statewide median.
Employer mix
Big 4 and national firms pay a brand premium; regional/local firms and government pay below industry roles at the same level.
Role & experience
Pay roughly doubles from staff to controller. The CPA license adds a modeled premium and unlocks senior roles.
Remote & hybrid
Remote roles can pay to a national band rather than the local one, widening access to higher-paying employers.
How to use these figures
San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro figures here are a direct BLS wage measurement — but they cover accountants and auditors as a single occupation, so they are not specific to the CPA license, your role, or your employer. Use them as a local baseline, then model your own situation and submit a salary to sharpen the employer-level detail BLS does not publish.
Other metros
Compare nearby metro pay
CPA pay across other major metros — large, high-cost areas pay the strongest.
Frequently asked questions
- How much does a CPA make in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad?
- The median accountant/auditor wage in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro is about $96,340 (+15.1% vs national). Licensed CPAs generally earn above this baseline.
- Does San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad pay more than the rest of California?
- Large metros like San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad typically pay above their statewide median due to higher cost of living and a denser concentration of large employers and public-accounting firms.
How to read these numbers
National, state, and metro pay comes straight from the federal wage measurement for accountants & auditors — direct and source-backed, not scaled from anything.
Role, experience, CPA-license, and employer figures are modeled on top of that measurement and labeled Estimate — the federal data does not break those out, so we never present them as measurements.
Add your San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad salary
BLS measures the occupation, not your role, firm, or license. Submissions are what add that layer. Anonymous and quick.