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Software Engineer Salary in San Diego, CA

Based on 18 job postings with disclosed salary data. Medium confidence (10-29 postings).

Typical range (25th - 75th percentile)

$155K – $225K

Median: $170,000 · Average: $179,000

90th
$275K
75th
$225K
Median
$170K
25th
$155K
10th
$116K

+25% compared to the national median of $135,980 for Software Engineer roles.

Top-paying companies posting Software Engineer roles right now

From 400 active postings with disclosed pay.

Anthropicup to $625k
Pinterestup to $429k
Shield AIup to $421k
Sierraup to $390k
Figmaup to $376k
Scale AIup to $362k

Live Software Engineer postings with pay disclosed

Software Engineer, Agents$194k - $265k

Benchling · San Francisco, CA

Software Engineer, Tools and Automation$195k - $265k

Benchling · San Francisco, CA

Software Engineer, Full Stack (Process Execution)$173k - $235k

Benchling · San Francisco, CA

Software Engineer, Applications (App Foundations) (High Seniority)$225k - $305k

Benchling · San Francisco, CA

Software Engineer, Cloud Infrastructure$195k - $265k

Benchling · San Francisco, CA

Software Engineer, Platform (Developer Experience)$173k - $234k

Benchling · San Francisco, CA

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Frequently Asked Questions

What is the typical Software Engineer salary in San Diego, CA?

Based on 18 job postings with disclosed pay, the typical Software Engineer salary in San Diego, CA falls between $155,000 and $225,000. The median sits at $170,000 and the average is $179,000.

How does San Diego, CA compare to the national average for Software Engineer roles?

The median Software Engineer salary in San Diego, CA is $170,000, which is +25% compared to the national median of $135,980.

What is the salary range for entry-level vs senior Software Engineer positions in San Diego, CA?

The 10th percentile (entry-level or smaller companies) sits at $116,000, while the 90th percentile (senior roles or top-paying employers) reaches $275,000. That's a $159,000 spread from bottom to top.

Where does this salary data come from?

ShouldApply aggregates salary data from 18 scored job postings collected across 3 job boards (JSearch, Remotive, Wellfound). Only postings with explicitly disclosed salary ranges are included. Data refreshes monthly.

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