HVAC technician salary in San Diego, CA
HVAC technicians in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro earn a median $36.00 an hour ($74,880 a year), 3% above the California median and 23% above the US median (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $28.05–$44.08. San Diego ranks 10th of 25 metros in California and 35th of 385 US metros, in the top tenth.
$36.00
Median hourly pay
3% above California
$74,880
Median annual pay
$66,923 at US prices
10th of 25
Among California metros
by median hourly pay
Pay in San Diego, California and the US
BLS counts 3,210 HVAC mechanics and installers in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area. Pay is spread wide: the best-paid tenth earn at least 2.4 times what the lowest-paid tenth do ($54.80 against $22.46 an hour). The average, $36.52, is close to the median, so a few high earners don't skew the picture. HVAC techs are a thinner slice of the workforce here: 2.1 per 1,000 jobs, 21% under the national share.
| Percentile | San Diego | California | US |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th (entry level) | $22.46 | $22.57 | $19.25 |
| 25th | $28.05 | $28.02 | $23.25 |
| Median | $36.00 | $34.88 | $29.33 |
| 75th | $44.08 | $43.65 | $37.05 |
| 90th (top tenth) | $54.80 | $52.44 | $45.78 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025, hourly wages.
Where San Diego ranks
At $36.00, San Diego is 10th of 25 metros in California and 35th of 385 US metros, in the top tenth. Nearest in pay elsewhere in California: El Centro ($36.16), San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles ($36.14) and Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim ($35.49). Every metro, the licensing rules and the training path are on the California HVAC technician salary page; to vet a contractor, see how to check an HVAC license in California.
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025; ranks by median hourly pay among metros with an estimate.
What an hour of HVAC work costs in San Diego
A tech at the San Diego median earns $36.00 an hour. Our price model bills that hour at about $139 here ($92–$184), 23% above the national $113, because local HVAC wages are that much higher.
Of each $139 billed, about $36 is the technician's wage and $103 covers the shop's overhead and margin, $4 more than across California ($99).
Take a typical San Diego AC repair at $470: about $302 of it is labor, the equivalent of 2.2 billed hours, and the technician's own pay for that time comes to roughly $78.
- AC repair cost in San Diego: typical $470, of which $302 is labor
- Furnace repair cost in San Diego: typical $420, of which $307 is labor
- Heat pump repair cost in San Diego: typical $490, of which $301 is labor
- HVAC tune-up cost in San Diego: typical $200, of which $200 is labor
Every other local price, wage and climate figure: HVAC prices in San Diego.
Source: wages, BLS OEWS May 2025; billable rate, HomeGuide HVAC repair costs (2026) scaled by local HVAC wages; repair prices, HVACFIND Price Index 2026Q4.2 (model estimates for a 1,500–2,500 sq ft home).
Take-home and cost of living
California's graduated income tax (top rate 12.3%) takes about $3,007 of the $74,880 median, leaving $71,873, or 96% of gross.
Prices in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad area run 12% above the US average (BEA regional price parities, 2024), which trims the median's buying power to about $66,923 in national terms.
Source: state income tax at 2026 rates, single filer, standard deduction; federal income tax, FICA and city taxes left out. Price parities: BEA, 2024.
Other trades in San Diego
Next to HVAC techs in San Diego, electricians earn $0.62 more an hour and plumbers earn $1.14 less an hour. HVAC out-earns three of the five related trades listed. The median worker in San Diego, across every occupation, earns $28.21 an hour, so HVAC pays 28% more than the local norm.
| Occupation | Median hourly | vs HVAC |
|---|---|---|
| HVAC technicians (San Diego) | $36.00 | — |
| Electricians | $36.62 | +$0.62 |
| Plumbers and pipefitters | $34.86 | −$1.14 |
| Sheet metal workers | $38.50 | +$2.50 |
| Home appliance repairers | $21.92 | −$14.08 |
| Maintenance and repair workers | $26.22 | −$9.78 |
| All occupations | $28.21 | −$7.79 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025.
Questions
How much do HVAC technicians make in San Diego?
A median $36.00 an hour, or $74,880 a year, across 3,210 jobs in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half earn $28.05–$44.08; the top tenth over $54.80.
Do HVAC techs earn more in San Diego than elsewhere in California?
Yes. The San Diego median of $36.00 is 3% above the California figure of $34.88, making it 10th of 25 metros in California.
What does an hour of HVAC labor cost in San Diego?
About $139 in our price model ($92–$184), which scales national billable rates by local HVAC wages. A typical AC repair in San Diego runs $470, $302 of it labor.
How does HVAC pay in San Diego compare with electricians and plumbers?
Electricians earn $0.62 more an hour and plumbers earn $1.14 less an hour than HVAC techs' $36.00 median.
Sources
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025: HVAC mechanics and installers (49-9021)
- BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035
- O*NET 31.0: Heating, Air Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics and Installers
- BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
- EPA Section 608 technician certification
- HomeGuide: HVAC repair cost and hourly rates (2026)
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