$90,000 in Durham ≈ $103,186 in San Diego

$103,186

Purchasing-power equivalent using BEA RPP 2024 (97.6 → 111.9). BLS OEWS May 2025 wages on linked pages.

Prices in San Diego run +14.7% vs Durham for equal purchasing power at this salary level.

Durham RPP
97.6
San Diego RPP
111.9
Price gap
+14.7%
Base salary
$90,000

Prices in San Diego run +14.7% versus Durham on BEA all-items RPP (2024), so overall price levels are higher at the destination. A $90,000 paycheck in Durham maps to about $103,186 in San Diego for equal purchasing power.

Your salary

Needed in San Diego: $103,186

Live math: salary × (111.9 ÷ 97.6). Same formula as the static ladder below.

Salary needed in San Diego

In DurhamIn San Diego
$60,000$68,791
$90,000$103,186
$150,000$171,977

Equivalent = origin salary × (111.9 ÷ 97.6). Adjust the base with the slider above.

Price level components

ComponentDurhamSan DiegoUS
All items97.6111.9100
Goods96.6108.0100
Housing (rents)98.9179.3100
Other services98.299.6100

BEA Regional Price Parities 2024, US = 100. Housing is rents; utilities omitted in this view.

Wages in both metros

OccupationDurhamSan DiegoDest. middle halfDest. OEWS emp.Gap
Computer and Information Systems Managers$176,190$206,740$165,460 to $262,2107,250+17.3%
Architectural and Engineering Managers$172,480$202,810$164,520 to $224,7403,270+17.6%
Marketing Managers$175,160$174,840$132,130 to $228,1103,790−0.2%
Financial Managers$165,470$174,210$133,960 to $235,4007,350+5.3%
Human Resources Managers$160,580$163,190$124,470 to $208,4602,300+1.6%
Managers, All Other$152,090$169,240$132,290 to $213,0509,370+11.3%
Lawyers$132,790$178,220$135,400 to $223,0208,020+34.2%
Sales Managers$190,370$119,750$78,620 to $182,5508,630−37.1%

BLS OEWS May 2025 metro medians where published for both CBSAs. Employment is OEWS published employment, not job openings.

FAQ

What salary do I need in San Diego to match $90,000 in Durham?
About $103,186, based on BEA Regional Price Parities (2024) of 97.6 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.