Salary comparison
Elementary School Teachers, Except Special Education: Mount Vernon vs Santa Maria
Santa Maria, CA pays about 0.3% more for elementary school teachers, except special education on paper — $101,030 vs $100,730. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Santa Maria comes out ahead by $300 a year in real buying power.
Mount Vernon, WA
$100,730
$99,220
$126,600
$48.43
100
$100,730/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Maria, CA
$101,030
$78,340
$109,150
$48.57
100
$101,030/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $300 a year (0.3%) in favor of Santa Maria. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Mount Vernon runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Maria sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Santa Maria is the better deal by $300 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Mount Vernon to Santa Maria for this role, the raise needs to beat 0.3% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do elementary school teachers, except special education earn more, Mount Vernon or Santa Maria?
Santa Maria pays $101,030 on median — about 0.3% more than Mount Vernon ($100,730). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Santa Maria. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Santa Maria gives you roughly$101,030 of real buying power versus $100,730 in the other city.