Materials Engineer Salary: Minneapolis vs San Francisco
Annual median salary comparison (2024). All figures include local currency, USD equivalent, and PPP-adjusted purchasing power.
🇺🇸 Minneapolis
United States
$101K USD
$101K USD
$101K PPP
VS
USD Difference
-27%
Minneapolis vs San Francisco
🇺🇸 San Francisco
United States
$139K USD
$139K USD
$139K PPP
Higher Purchasing Power
Detailed Comparison
| Metric | Minneapolis | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Local Currency Salary | $101K USD | $139K USD | — |
| USD Equivalent | $101K | $139K | -27% |
| PPP-Adjusted SalaryWINNER | $101K | $139K 🏆 | -27% |
| 25th Percentile | $81K USD | $111K USD | — |
| Median | $101K USD | $139K USD | — |
| 75th Percentile | $127K USD | $173K USD | — |
| Annual Mean | $109K USD | $150K USD | — |
What Does This Mean?
Minneapolis offers a Materials Engineer salary of $101K USD, while San Francisco offers $139K USD — a difference of -27% in raw terms.
After adjusting for purchasing power parity (PPP), Minneapolis's salary is worth $101K in US purchasing power terms, versus $139K for San Francisco. This means San Francisco offers better real purchasing power for this role.
PPP adjustment accounts for differences in local prices — for example, housing costs 3x more in San Francisco than in Warsaw, so a San Francisco salary needs to be much higher to provide an equivalent standard of living.