$90,000 in Detroit ≈ $100,409 in San Diego
$100,409
Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (100.3 → 111.9). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.
Prices in San Diego run +11.6% vs Detroit for equal purchasing power at this salary level.
Same job, both metros
- Chief Executives in Detroit Chief Executives in San Diego
- Physicians, All Other in Detroit Physicians, All Other in San Diego
- Computer and Information Systems Managers in Detroit Computer and Information Systems Managers in San Diego
- Architectural and Engineering Managers in Detroit Architectural and Engineering Managers in San Diego
- Financial Managers in Detroit Financial Managers in San Diego
- Detroit RPP
- 100.3
- San Diego RPP
- 111.9
- Price gap
- +11.6%
- Base salary
- $90,000
Prices in San Diego run +11.6% versus Detroit on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Detroit maps to about $100,409 in San Diego for equal purchasing power.
Salary needed in San Diego
| In Detroit | In San Diego |
|---|---|
| $60,000 | $66,939 |
| $90,000 | $100,409 |
| $150,000 | $167,348 |
Equivalent = origin salary × (111.9 ÷ 100.3). Adjust the base with the slider above.
Price level components
| Component | Detroit | San Diego | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 100.3 | 111.9 | 100 |
| Goods | 98.8 | 108.0 | 100 |
| Housing (rents) | 94.7 | 179.3 | 100 |
| Other services | 102.6 | 99.6 | 100 |
BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.
Wages in both metros
| Occupation | Detroit | San Diego | Dest. middle half | Dest. OEWS emp. | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chief Executives | $304,110 | $238,440 | $155,810 to $387,130 | 2,710 | −21.6% |
| Physicians, All Other | $68,220 | $323,050 | $254,280 to $337,400 | 4,200 | +373.5% |
| Computer and Information Systems Managers | $170,040 | $206,740 | $165,460 to $262,210 | 7,250 | +21.6% |
| Architectural and Engineering Managers | $168,550 | $202,810 | $164,520 to $224,740 | 3,270 | +20.3% |
| Financial Managers | $160,240 | $174,210 | $133,960 to $235,400 | 7,350 | +8.7% |
| Marketing Managers | $149,310 | $174,840 | $132,130 to $228,110 | 3,790 | +17.1% |
| Lawyers | $134,980 | $178,220 | $135,400 to $223,020 | 8,020 | +32.0% |
| Human Resources Managers | $149,980 | $163,190 | $124,470 to $208,460 | 2,300 | +8.8% |
BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.
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FAQ
- What salary do I need in San Diego to match $90,000 in Detroit?
- About $100,409, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 100.3 and 111.9. Formula: salary × (RPP_destination / RPP_origin). Not financial advice.
- What do goods, housing, and other RPP components mean?
- BEA publishes component indexes alongside all-items RPP. Goods covers merchandise prices; housing (rents) covers rents; other services covers remaining services. All are indexed to US = 100 for the same vintage year.
- How do OEWS wages relate to this comparison?
- BLS OEWS (May 2025) publishes occupation medians by metro. The wage bridge shows jobs with published medians in both metros, plus middle-half bands and OEWS employment where available. RPP adjusts purchasing power; OEWS reports pay.
- Does this include taxes or benefits?
- No. PayByCity does not model income taxes, childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave. Use the figures as a price-level starting point, not a take-home or total-rewards calculator.
What this covers
Includes
- BEA Regional Price Parities (all items, goods, housing rents, other services)
- BLS OEWS median wages, percentile bands, and employment where published
- Purchasing-power math: salary × (destination RPP ÷ origin RPP)
Does not include
- Federal, state, or local income taxes
- Childcare, healthcare premiums, or leave benefits
- Job openings. OEWS employment is a published stock estimate, not hiring demand
See methodology and disclaimer.