Expert Software Engineer salary in San Diego, CA
Based on 586 certified H-1B filings at DOL wage level IV in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area, FY2025–FY2026. Includes Carlsbad, Poway, San Marcos, La Jolla, Vista.
Also listed as: Software Developer, Software Development Engineer, SDE
Salary range
| Percentile | Salary |
|---|---|
| 10th | $177,154 |
| 25th | $177,154 |
| 50th (median) | $184,974 |
| 75th | $190,000 |
| 90th | $219,012 |
Salary by year
Median salary
Filings per year
Show as table
| Fiscal year | Median | P25 | P75 | Filings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FY2020 | $138,600 | $131,520 | $146,370 | 291 |
| FY2021 | $145,800 | $139,600 | $160,000 | 378 |
| FY2022 | $156,800 | $142,400 | $174,800 | 445 |
| FY2023 | $166,799 | $155,397 | $175,000 | 345 |
| FY2024 | $175,000 | $171,080 | $180,000 | 306 |
| FY2025 | $177,154 | $177,154 | $189,351 | 358 |
| FY2026 | $184,974 | $184,974 | $192,920 | 228 |
Cost of living
San Diego's median expert Software Engineer salary of $184,974 is worth about $165,300 at national average prices.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (U.S. = 100; San Diego = 111.9).
Compared with all workers here
All Software Developers in the San Diego, CA area earned a median of $163,270 in May 2025 (20,610 employed). The H-1B median here is $184,974, 13% higher.
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 | $177,154 | 188 |
| Qualcomm | $184,387 | 140 |
| Intuit | $195,770 | 23 |
| NVIDIA | $184,974 | 21 |
| ServiceNow | $184,974 | 16 |
| Sony Interactive Entertainment | $192,500 | 10 |
| Meta | too few | 9 |
| Illumina | too few | 9 |
| Amazon | too few | 7 |
| GoFundMe | too few | 6 |
Employers with at least 2 filings here. Median shown at 10+ filings.
By experience level
| Wage level | Median | Filings |
|---|---|---|
| Entry-level · Level I | $115,000 | 197 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $130,187 | 965 |
| Senior · Level III | $157,581 | 665 |
| Expert · Level IV | $184,974 | 586 |
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 | $101,754 | $115,000 | 197 |
| Mid-level · Level II | $126,880 | $130,187 | 965 |
| Senior · Level III | $152,027 | $157,581 | 665 |
| Expert · Level IV | $177,154 | $184,974 | 586 |
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.