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Hiring a cost estimator in San Diego, CA

Employers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area pay cost estimators a median of $87,170, with the middle half of the market between $66,490 and $118,730. San Diego residents working in business and financial operations occupations report a median of $82,976, which is 5% below what the metro pays for this role.

What does a cost estimator earn here?

Place of work

What employers pay

Annual wages paid by employers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA area. BLS OEWS, May 2025.
25th percentile$66,490
Median$87,170
75th percentile$118,730

Half of cost estimators in this area earn between $66,490 and $118,730. A band set below $66,490 competes for the bottom quarter of the market.

Place of residence

What San Diego residents earn

$82,976

Median earnings of San Diego residents working in business and financial operations occupations, 56,031 people. Census ACS 5-year 2023, tables S2401 and B24011. Where people live, not where they work, so it is not the same measurement as the wages beside it.

The 5% figure is not a pay gap. ACS counts the civilian employed population 16 and over, part-time and part-year work included; OEWS counts wage-and-salary jobs only. The two populations differ, so read this number against other cities rather than as a shortfall: the same definitional difference applies to every city equally, which is what makes a city-to-city reading sound.

The two sit close together, so pay alone is unlikely to be what wins or loses this hire.

What does the role actually involve?

Core tasks

  • Analyze blueprints and other documentation to prepare time, cost, materials, and labor estimates.
  • Confer with engineers, architects, owners, contractors, and subcontractors on changes and adjustments to cost estimates.
  • Collect historical cost data to estimate costs for current or future products.
  • Assess cost effectiveness of products, projects or services, tracking actual costs relative to bids as the project develops.
  • Consult with clients, vendors, personnel in other departments, or construction foremen to discuss and formulate estimates and resolve issues.

O*NET 29.1, task statements for SOC 13-1051.

Tools and technologies in demand

Microsoft Excel, Microsoft Office software, Microsoft Outlook, Microsoft PowerPoint, Microsoft Word, On Center On-Screen Takeoff, Adobe Acrobat, Autodesk AutoCAD.

O*NET 29.1, flagged in demand or hot for this occupation. Useful as a screen, not as a checklist.

Is the talent actually in San Diego?

This is a job zone four: considerable preparation needed occupation. Most of these occupations require a four-year bachelor's degree, but some do not.

That matters here, because 49.9% of San Diego adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher. That is a deep local pool for a degree-requiring role. Census ACS 5-year 2023, table S1501.

The average San Diego commute runs 23.9 minutes, which is roughly how far your catchment reaches before candidates start saying no. 19.2% already work from home, so a fully onsite requirement here is competing against that.

How often do these jobs turn over?

In San Diego County, accounting, tax preparation, bookkeeping and payroll services employs 9,548 and turns over 11.4% a quarter, with 1,563 hires against 960 separations. Average earnings in that industry run $7,752 a month. Census LEHD Quarterly Workforce Indicators, 2024 Q1, NAICS 5412.

That figure covers every occupation in the industry, not this role alone, so read it as the local churn rate rather than as a number about cost estimators. It still tells you what you are hiring into: a normal churn rate, where a well-run search closes on schedule.

What does the search cost?

The fee is set by the seniority of the role, never by salary and never by location. Across all six tiers it runs $6,240 to $54,340 per search. A contingency firm hiring at this role's median would bill roughly $17,434 to $26,151 on the first year salary alone.

One owner runs the search from market map to signed offer. Searches typically fill in 23 to 35 days, which is a typical window rather than a promise, and the replacement guarantee runs 45 days at 50% off.

Price this search

Eight questions about the role. Your tier range appears on screen.

Hiring a cost estimator somewhere else?

Same role, different market. The wage band moves with the metro.

Other business and financial operations roles in San Diego

Related

San Diego is the 2th largest of 21 California cities in this dataset.