Salary comparison
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary: Bremerton vs Santa Maria
Bremerton, WA pays about 8.6% more for teaching assistants, except postsecondary on paper — $50,530 vs $46,540. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Bremerton comes out ahead by $3,990 a year in real buying power.
Bremerton, WA
$50,530
$49,020
$58,010
$24.29
100
$50,530/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Maria, CA
$46,540
$44,560
$51,160
$22.38
100
$46,540/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $3,990 a year (8.6%) in favor of Bremerton. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Bremerton runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Maria sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Bremerton is the better deal by $3,990 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Maria to Bremerton for this role, the raise needs to beat 8.6% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do teaching assistants, except postsecondary earn more, Bremerton or Santa Maria?
Bremerton pays $50,530 on median — about 8.6% more than Santa Maria ($46,540). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Bremerton. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Bremerton gives you roughly$50,530 of real buying power versus $46,540 in the other city.