Salary comparison
Secondary School Teachers, Except Special and Career/Technical Education: Olympia vs Santa Maria
Olympia, WA pays about 2.3% more for secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education on paper — $105,200 vs $102,840. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Olympia comes out ahead by $2,360 a year in real buying power.
Olympia, WA
$105,200
$81,380
$107,630
$50.58
100
$105,200/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Maria, CA
$102,840
$80,810
$126,070
$49.44
100
$102,840/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $2,360 a year (2.3%) in favor of Olympia. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Olympia runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Maria sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Olympia is the better deal by $2,360 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Maria to Olympia for this role, the raise needs to beat 2.3% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do secondary school teachers, except special and career/technical education earn more, Olympia or Santa Maria?
Olympia pays $105,200 on median — about 2.3% more than Santa Maria ($102,840). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Olympia. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Olympia gives you roughly$105,200 of real buying power versus $102,840 in the other city.