Salary comparison
Teaching Assistants, Except Postsecondary: Portland vs San Jose
San Jose, CA pays about 0.5% more for teaching assistants, except postsecondary on paper — $49,010 vs $48,770. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, San Jose comes out ahead by $240 a year in real buying power.
Portland, ME
$48,770
$46,450
$52,130
$23.45
100
$48,770/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
San Jose, CA
$49,010
$45,510
$58,130
$23.56
100
$49,010/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $240 a year (0.5%) in favor of San Jose. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Portland runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; San Jose sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, San Jose is the better deal by $240 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Portland to San Jose for this role, the raise needs to beat 0.5% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do teaching assistants, except postsecondary earn more, Portland or San Jose?
San Jose pays $49,010 on median — about 0.5% more than Portland ($48,770). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
San Jose. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, San Jose gives you roughly$49,010 of real buying power versus $48,770 in the other city.