Salary comparison
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: Bellingham vs Oxnard
Oxnard, CA pays about 6.5% more for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education on paper — $108,850 vs $102,160. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Oxnard comes out ahead by $6,690 a year in real buying power.
Bellingham, WA
$102,160
$80,860
$127,430
$49.12
100
$102,160/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Oxnard, CA
$108,850
$88,560
$126,530
$52.33
100
$108,850/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $6,690 a year (6.5%) in favor of Oxnard. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Bellingham runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Oxnard sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Oxnard is the better deal by $6,690 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Bellingham to Oxnard for this role, the raise needs to beat 6.5% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education earn more, Bellingham or Oxnard?
Oxnard pays $108,850 on median — about 6.5% more than Bellingham ($102,160). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Oxnard. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Oxnard gives you roughly$108,850 of real buying power versus $102,160 in the other city.