Mid-level QA Engineer salary in San Diego, CA
Based on 121 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level II in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Carlsbad, Vista, San Marcos, Poway, Escondido.
Also listed as: Software Tester, Test Automation Engineer
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $94,640 |
| 25th | $94,650 |
| 50th (median) | $100,000 |
| 75th | $118,000 |
| 90th | $132,984 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $73,750 | $73,424 | $92,574 | 70 |
| FY2021 | $75,000 | $74,942 | $98,592 | 67 |
| FY2022 | $87,500 | $80,662 | $98,199 | 75 |
| FY2023 | $88,000 | $87,006 | $100,000 | 82 |
| FY2024 | $94,640 | $90,979 | $113,679 | 73 |
| FY2025 | $96,000 | $94,640 | $113,660 | 77 |
| FY2026 | $108,412 | $94,806 | $124,800 | 44 |
Cost of living
San Diego's median mid-level QA Engineer salary of $100,000 is worth about $89,400 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Diego = 111.9).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Quality Assurance Analysts and Testers in the San Diego, CA area earned a median of $120,210 in May 2025 (2,280 employed). The H-1B median here is $100,000, 17% 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
| Employer | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Apple | $120,300 | 16 |
| ServiceNow | $94,640 | 13 |
| LTIMindtree | too few | 6 |
| Cigniti Technologies | too few | 5 |
| HCLTech | too few | 4 |
| Datanormus | too few | 4 |
| Mindlance | too few | 4 |
| Osi Engineering | too few | 4 |
| Dexcom | too few | 3 |
| Persistent Systems | too few | 3 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $90,000 | 43 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $100,000 | 121 |
| Senior · Level III | $120,000 | 94 |
| Expert · Level IV | $146,290 | 68 |
Median shown when a level has at least 10 filings.
Minimum H-1B salary by level
| Wage level | Prevailing wage (most common) | Median offered salary | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $74,651 | $90,000 | 43 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $94,640 | $100,000 | 121 |
| Senior · Level III | $115,502 | $120,000 | 94 |
| Expert · Level IV | $135,138 | $146,290 | 68 |
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.