Starting range
Average salary
Top earners
slightly below national average
Compare to Nearby Cities
| City | Average Salary | Cost of Living Index | Real Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tampa, FL | $100,000 | 104 | $96,154 |
| Orlando, FL | $98,000 | 103 | $95,146 |
| Savannah, GA | $85,000 | 95 | $89,474 |
Local Market Outlook
Demand Level
steady growth with spikes tied to fintech and healthcare IT projects; employers prefer full-stack .NET skills and cloud experience
Top Employers
Key Industries
How Jacksonville's cost of living affects a .NET developer's purchasing power
Jacksonville's cost-of-living index (~97) gives . NET developers slightly more purchasing power compared with many Florida metros.
Typical one-bedroom rents in neighborhoods used by tech professionals (Riverside, San Marco, Downtown) run $1,200–$1,700/month as of recent listings; single-family starter homes in city limits average $260k–$330k depending on neighborhood. Lower housing costs relative to Miami or Tampa mean a mid-level .
NET developer earning roughly $90k-95k can afford a comfortable lifestyle: mortgage or rent, basic utilities, and discretionary spending. Commuting costs are moderate — many companies are clustered in the Urban Core and Southside, with average gas and parking costs lower than larger metros.
However, frequent travel to client sites or regional offices (Tampa/Orlando) raises transportation spend. Overall, take-home pay for a .
NET developer in Jacksonville stretches farther for housing and local services than in higher-cost Florida cities, but rising demand and in-migration have pushed housing expenses upward over the past 3–5 years.
Why .NET salaries sit at current levels in Jacksonville
Salaries for . NET developers in Jacksonville reflect a blend of strong regional enterprise demand and a moderate cost base.
Major employers—FIS (large payments and banking software), CSX (logistics/transportation systems), Mayo Clinic (clinical IT), Florida Blue, VyStar and regional bank operations—drive steady demand for . NET back-end and integration work.
Many of these organizations maintain legacy . NET Framework codebases alongside new .
NET Core/. NET 6+ modernization projects, which raises compensation for developers who can both maintain older systems and migrate to cloud-native architectures.
Regional consulting firms and tech vendors supporting these enterprises also hire contract and perm . NET engineers.
The fintech and healthcare verticals pay premiums for security, compliance, and performance expertise, while logistics/transportation projects often require systems integration and scale. The combination produces a moderate hiring pace with short bursts of higher demand tied to large modernization initiatives.
Comparing Jacksonville compensation and COL with nearby cities — relocation and remote work considerations
Compared to Tampa and Orlando, Jacksonville offers slightly lower nominal . NET salaries (average ~$95k vs.
~$98–100k) but also a lower cost of living than Tampa (COL ~104). Developers choosing Tampa or Orlando typically trade higher pay for higher rents and commute times; relocation makes sense when targeting specialized fintech or large enterprise teams that concentrate in those metros.
Savannah shows lower pay (~$85k) and a similar or slightly lower COL, so relocation there lowers income but may reduce housing costs. Remote work changes the calculus: many Jacksonville companies now allow hybrid or fully remote roles—developers can earn out-of-market pay (e.
g. , Tampa/Orlando rates) while keeping Jacksonville’s lower expenses, but fully remote roles from national SaaS firms may require competing on experience and cloud skills to secure top remote-market compensation.
Commuting to Tampa/Orlando is generally unrealistic as a daily pattern; consider relocation or remote arrangements instead.
Typical .NET career progression in Jacksonville and how to accelerate salary growth
NET developers commonly follow a progression: junior/entry (0–2 years) → mid-level (3–7 years) → senior/lead (8+ years). In Jacksonville, entry-level hires often start at $60k–$70k working on support, bug fixes, and small feature work on established systems.
Reaching mid-level (around years 3–5) typically requires ownership of components, API design in ASP. NET Core, and some cloud (Azure) experience — salaries rise to $85k–$100k.
Senior engineers (8+ years) who lead migrations, design distributed systems, or manage small teams command $110k–$130k. To accelerate growth locally, focus on: 1) cloud certifications (Azure Developer/Architect), 2) demonstrable migration projects (Framework → Core/.
NET 6+), 3) security and compliance experience for healthcare/finance, and 4) strong full-stack skills (Blazor/React + API design). Contracting or consultancy roles can provide higher short-term rates, while moving into product-owned teams at FIS or larger healthcare employers offers larger raises and leadership tracks.
Jacksonville-specific negotiation tips for .NET developers
When negotiating in Jacksonville, target a tight range based on experience: entry $60k–72k, mid $85k–100k, senior $105k–130k. Emphasize dual strengths that local employers value: solid .
NET Core + Azure experience and experience modernizing legacy . NET Framework applications.
Use concrete examples: successful migrations, measurable performance improvements, or compliance-driven features for healthcare/finance. Negotiate beyond base pay: ask for cloud training budgets, certification reimbursement, flexible/hybrid schedules, and a clear career path (titles, promotion cadence).
For small/medium employers, equity is rare—focus on bonus targets and predictable PTO. For remote roles that pay out-of-market rates, clarify location-based pay policies; some firms cap salaries by location while others pay market-competitive remote rates.
Finally, frame requests with local comps (FIS/CSX/health system pays) and be ready to justify top-of-range asks with demonstrable impact or leadership experience.
Related Tools
Sources & Methodology
How We Calculate Salary Data
Location-specific salary data is compiled from government statistics (BLS), employer-reported data, and verified employee submissions. Cost of living adjustments use COLI data from the Council for Community and Economic Research. All figures are cross-referenced across multiple sources and updated quarterly to reflect current market conditions.
Data last verified: January 2026
Data Sources
Official government occupational employment and wage statistics
Self-reported salary data from employees by location
Job posting salary data aggregated by metro area
Council for Community and Economic Research cost of living data
Regional compensation data and cost-of-living adjustments