Entry-level Cost Estimator salary in Los Angeles, CA

Based on 17 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level I in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Santa Monica, Irvine, Aliso Viejo, City Of Industry, Vernon.

Also listed as: Cost Manager

Median salary$60,000
Middle 50%$54.8k–$73.2k
vs. all levels here−35%comparison median $92,196
Filings17FY2025–FY2026 · latest two fiscal years

Salary range

Box: middle 50% of filings. Whiskers: 10th–90th percentile. 99% of filings are between $54,766 and $90,896.
PercentileSalary
10th$54,766
25th$54,766
50th (median)$60,000
75th$73,237
90th$90,896

Salary by year

Median salary

$40k $50k $60k FY2020: median $48,000 (15 filings) FY2021: median $49,460 (14 filings) FY2025: median $55,182 (10 filings) FY20 FY21 FY22 FY23 FY24 FY25 FY26

Filings per year

FY2020: 15 filings FY20 FY2021: 14 filings FY21 FY2022: 7 filings FY22 FY2023: 7 filings FY23 FY2024: 9 filings FY24 FY2025: 10 filings FY25 FY2026: 7 filings FY26 15
Shaded: FY2025–FY2026, the years behind the figures above. Median shown for years with at least 10 filings. FY2026 covers Q1–Q3 only.
Show as table
Fiscal yearMedianP25P75Filings
FY2020$48,000$43,992$50,00015
FY2021$49,460$41,600$68,75014
FY2022–––7
FY2023–––7
FY2024–––9
FY2025$55,182$54,766$59,50010
FY2026–––7

Cost of living

Los Angeles's median entry-level Cost Estimator salary of $60,000 is worth about $52,800 at national average prices.

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; Los Angeles = 113.6).

Compared with all workers here

All Cost Estimators in the Los Angeles, CA area earned a median of $82,260 in May 2025 (7,600 employed). The H-1B median here is $60,000, 27% lower.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS metropolitan area estimates. BLS wages include some incentive pay; H-1B figures are base salary.

Employers filing at this level

EmployerMedianFilings
Sea Pac Engineeringtoo few4
CCLA Constructiontoo few3
YunExpresstoo few3

Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.

By experience level

Wage levelMedianFilings
Entry-level · Level I $60,000 17
Mid-level · Level II $85,448 18
Senior · Level III $104,500 13
Expert · Level IV $143,000 19

Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.

Minimum H-1B salary by level

Wage levelPrevailing wage (most common)Median offered salaryFilings
Entry-level · Level I$55,598$60,00017
Mid-level · Level II$73,237$85,44818
Senior · Level III$87,651$104,50013
Expert · Level IV$108,534$143,00019

The prevailing wage is the minimum an employer must pay for this job and area. Amounts vary by county within a metro and by wage source.