·Cost of Living
Why Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondarys in California Earn $44,160 More — But Is It Worth It?
The salary gap looks big on paper, but cost of living tells a different story.
On paper, a Computer Science Teachers, Postsecondary in California earns $128,210 vs $84,050 in Arizona. That's a $44,160 difference.
But after adjusting for cost of living:
- California: $128,210 raw → ~$116,555 purchasing power
- Arizona: $84,050 raw → ~$91,359 purchasing power
The gap shrinks significantly — from $44,160 to just $25,196 in real terms.
This is why we built the Best Cities tool — raw salary doesn't tell the full story.
Explore the data
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Data Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, IRS Statistics of Income, SEC proxy filings. All data is from official government sources.