Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks Salary in San Diego, CA
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area earn a median $39,000 a year — 11% more than the national median. After 2026 taxes, that is $32,460 take-home, or $2,705 a month.
Take-home pay calculator
Pre-filled with the median hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks salary in San Diego, CA. Enter your own offer to see your paycheck.
- Federal income tax$2,500
- Social Security (6.2%)$2,418
- Medicare (1.45%)$566
- California income tax$549
- CA State Disability Insurance (SDI)$507
- Take-home pay$32,460
Marginal rate: 12% federal + 4.00% state
Got an offer somewhere else? Compare it with this one after taxes and rent →
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks pay by experience in San Diego, CA
| Percentile | Salary | Hourly | Take-home / yr | Per month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10th percentile (entry level) | $36,330 | $17.47 | $30,456 | $2,538 |
| 25th percentile | $37,220 | $17.89 | $31,124 | $2,594 |
| Median (50th) | $39,000 | $18.75 | $32,460 | $2,705 |
| 75th percentile | $45,020 | $21.64 | $36,978 | $3,082 |
| 90th percentile (top earners) | $50,640 | $24.35 | $41,123 | $3,427 |
Wages: BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025. Take-home: single filer, California resident, 2026 tax rules.
What $39,000 buys in San Diego, CA
Prices in San Diego, CA are 11.9% higher than the U.S. average (housing costs are 1.79× the national average). Adjusted for local prices, a median hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks's $32,460 take-home pay has the buying power of $29,012 in a typical American city.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents, FY2026 (40th-percentile gross rent incl. utilities). Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks jobs are about as common in San Diego, CA as in the U.S. overall (location quotient 1.15).
Best-paying cities for hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks, adjusted for cost of living
San Diego, CA ranks #12 of 20 metro areas once taxes and local prices are taken into account.
| # | Metro area | Median salary | Take-home | Real value* |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Vegas, NV | $40,760 | $34,931 | $34,856 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $44,520 | $37,952 | $34,150 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | $44,670 | $36,716 | $31,757 |
| 4 | New York, NY | $43,490 | $35,373 | $31,425 |
| 5 | Nashville, TN | $34,710 | $30,069 | $31,212 |
| 6 | Orlando, FL | $36,250 | $31,307 | $30,869 |
| 7 | Phoenix, AZ | $36,860 | $31,084 | $30,087 |
| 8 | Boston, MA | $39,990 | $32,532 | $30,049 |
| 12 | San Diego, CA | $39,000 | $32,460 | $29,012 |
*Take-home pay divided by the BEA price level, so every city is measured in U.S.-average dollars. See all 20 metros →
About the job: hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks
Accommodate hotel, motel, and resort patrons by registering and assigning rooms to guests, issuing room keys or cards, transmitting and receiving messages, keeping records of occupied rooms and guests’ accounts, making and confirming reservations, and presenting statements to and collecting payments from departing guests.
- Typical education
- High school diploma or equivalent
- Work experience
- None required
- On-the-job training
- Short-term on-the-job training
- Job outlook, 2025–35
- +1.8% (slower than average)
Source: BLS Standard Occupational Classification and Employment Projections, 2025–35.
Hotel, Motel, and Resort Desk Clerks salaries elsewhere in California
- San Francisco, CA — $44,670
- Riverside, CA — $37,030
- Los Angeles, CA — $39,620
Frequently asked questions
How much does a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks make in San Diego, CA?
The median hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks salary in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA metro area is $39,000 a year, or about $18.75 an hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (May 2025). The middle half earn between $37,220 and $45,020.
What is a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks’s take-home pay in San Diego, CA?
On the median $39,000 salary, a single filer living in California takes home about $32,460 a year ($2,705 a month) after federal tax, Social Security, Medicare and $1,056 in California taxes in 2026.
Is San Diego, CA a good place to work as a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks?
Pay here is 11% above the national median of $35,070. Local prices are 11.9% above the U.S. average, so the take-home pay buys what $29,012 would in a typical U.S. city. San Diego, CA ranks #12 of 20 metro areas for cost-of-living-adjusted pay in this job.
Can a hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks afford rent in San Diego, CA?
HUD’s fair market rent for a one-bedroom in San Diego, CA is $2,459 a month ($3,001 for two bedrooms) — 91% of a median hotel, motel, and resort desk clerks’s monthly take-home pay. Financial planners usually suggest keeping rent under about 30%.
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