Computer Vision Applications Engineer.
San Diego.
$162,000
median salary, 22% above the national average
$120,000 to $212,000. Last updated August 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
If you are evaluating a Computer Vision Applications Engineer offer in San Diego, CA, here is the reality: $120,000 to $212,000, with $162,000 as the midpoint. 22% above the national average. Compensation reflects practical expertise in deploying computer vision from research to production. Do not accept the first number. These figures are Orbyt estimates, computed rather than measured, and must not be cited as Bureau of Labor Statistics figures; the published BLS wage for the occupation this role maps to is shown separately on this page.
Salary range.
Where do you fall?
Orbyt estimate for Computer Vision Applications Engineer in San Diego, modelled from national occupation wages adjusted for local cost of living. The published government benchmark for this occupation is below.
Government benchmark for this occupation
The US Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a median annual wage of $163,270 for Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metropolitan area, based on 20,610 employed workers (May 2025 release).
10th percentile
$95,420
25th percentile
$128,590
Median
$163,270
75th percentile
$193,980
90th percentile
$223,260
Workers surveyed
20,610
BLS publishes wages by occupation code, not by job title, so this figure covers every role mapped to Software Developers (SOC 15-1252) rather than Computer Vision Applications Engineer specifically. The San Diego range at the top of this page is Orbyt’s role-level estimate, which is a different thing and is labelled as such.
View the BLS source for SOC 15-1252Salary by experience.
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $146,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$105,000
to $130,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$138,000
to $170,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$178,000
to $211,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$203,000
to $251,000
Total compensation.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $73,000 to the total package.
Base
$162,000
Equity
$44,000
Bonus
$19,000
Signing
$10,000
Estimated total: $235,000
How San Diego compares.
San Diego, CA
$162,000
Cost of living: 17% above average
National Average
$133,000
San Diego is $29,000 above
Computer Vision Applications Engineer salary by city.
Salary by role in San Diego.
What you should know.
Here is what the Computer Vision Applications Engineer market actually looks like in San Diego. San Diego's economy thrives on defense, biotech, and a growing tech startup scene. The city's proximity to major military installations drives strong aerospace and cybersecurity demand. Biotech companies along the Torrey Pines corridor compete aggressively for scientific and engineering talent, pushing specialized salaries close to Bay Area levels. Compensation reflects practical expertise in deploying computer vision from research to production. Engineers who can optimize models for edge deployment, build real-time processing pipelines, and integrate CV into domain-specific workflows earn premiums. Experience with specific applications (industrial inspection, medical imaging, retail analytics) adds domain-specific value.
Junior CV application engineers start at $95,000 to $115,000. Mid-level engineers building production CV systems reach $135,000 to $165,000. Senior engineers designing multi-camera analytics platforms earn $170,000 to $210,000. Directors of computer vision at applied AI companies can reach $230,000 to $280,000. In San Diego, those numbers run higher. The cost of living here is 17% above average, and employers adjust to compete.
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity at CV startups adds $20,000 to $70,000 annually. Bonuses of 10% to 15% are standard. Hardware allowances for high-performance workstations with GPUs are common. Conference travel and publication incentives support career development. And on the tax side: california's top 13.3% state tax applies here. While San Diego has no city income tax, the state burden means you should negotiate gross pay higher than you might expect for the cost of living. When someone quotes you $162,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.
On negotiation: Leverage defense and biotech sector demand. Candidates with security clearances or specialized science backgrounds can command 15 to 20% premiums in San Diego. The range for Computer Vision Applications Engineers in San Diego runs from $120,000 to $212,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.
Sources: BLS OES, H-1B LCA (DOL). COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified July 1, 2026. Full methodology
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Common questions.
Computer Vision Applications Engineer salary in other cities.
Other salaries in San Diego.
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Cite this data
Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.
"Computer Vision Applications Engineer Salary in San Diego, CA." Orbyt Salary Explorer, August 2026. https://www.orbytlabs.ai/orbyt-jobs/salaries/computer-vision-applications-engineer/san-diego
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