Salary comparison
Secretaries and Administrative Assistants, Except Legal, Medical, and Executive: New Haven vs Santa Cruz
New Haven, CT pays about 10.9% more for secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive on paper — $63,800 vs $57,510. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, New Haven comes out ahead by $6,290 a year in real buying power.
New Haven, CT
$63,800
$50,880
$77,540
$30.67
100
$63,800/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Cruz, CA
$57,510
$46,420
$68,410
$27.65
100
$57,510/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $6,290 a year (10.9%) in favor of New Haven. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
New Haven runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Cruz sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, New Haven is the better deal by $6,290 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Cruz to New Haven for this role, the raise needs to beat 10.9% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do secretaries and administrative assistants, except legal, medical, and executive earn more, New Haven or Santa Cruz?
New Haven pays $63,800 on median — about 10.9% more than Santa Cruz ($57,510). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
New Haven. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, New Haven gives you roughly$63,800 of real buying power versus $57,510 in the other city.