Starting range
Average salary
Top earners
about 8% lower than the US average
Compare to Nearby Cities
| City | Average Salary | Cost of Living Index | Real Value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Austin, TX | $110,000 | 116 | $94,828 |
| Houston, TX | $100,000 | 101 | $99,010 |
| Dallas, TX | $105,000 | 103 | $101,942 |
Local Market Outlook
Demand Level
steady demand for mid-level .NET engineers, growth in cloud-native .NET Core roles and integration with Azure; more remote roles widen hiring pools but local on-site roles persist in finance and energy
Top Employers
Key Industries
How San Antonio's cost of living affects a .NET developer's purchasing power
San Antonio’s COL index (~92) means everyday expenses and housing are generally cheaper than the US average and much cheaper than Austin or Dallas. For a .
NET developer, that translates into more discretionary income at equivalent nominal salaries. Typical 1-bedroom rents in central neighborhoods range $1,000–1,200 per month; suburban 3-bedroom homes rent for $1,500–2,000.
Commuting costs depend on lifestyle — many tech roles are concentrated north of downtown and in the Westover Hills/Stone Oak corridor; expect 25–40 minute drives from common suburban neighborhoods, with monthly fuel and maintenance around $150–250 depending on distance. Public transit options are limited relative to larger metros, so owning a vehicle remains common.
Day-to-day affordability lets mid-level developers (~$90k) save for home down payments faster than in higher-cost Texas cities, and discretionary spending on dining and entertainment remains comfortable. However, specialized tooling, conference travel, or frequent airline commutes to client sites will increase personal costs that local salaries must absorb.
Why .NET salaries in San Antonio sit where they do
Salaries for . NET developers in San Antonio reflect a mix of steady local demand and competition from remote hiring.
Large local employers like USAA and H‑E‑B maintain significant in-house engineering teams that favor stable, enterprise-grade . NET skills (C#, ASP.
NET Core, SQL Server). Rackspace and managed service firms drive demand for operations-focused engineers and cloud integration (Azure).
Energy and utilities (Valero, CPS Energy) need internal application development and legacy-to-cloud modernization, which supports mid-to-senior roles. Compared with Austin, San Antonio’s tech ecosystem is smaller, causing slightly lower top-end offers; however, the absence of state income tax and lower housing costs partially offset lower nominal salaries.
The rise of . NET Core, microservices, and Azure adoption has increased demand for engineers who can combine backend .
NET experience with cloud CI/CD, which often commands a premium of 5–15% on base pay locally.
Comparing San Antonio to nearby Texas tech markets and relocation considerations
Austin pays roughly 15–20% more to . NET developers on average but has a COL index ~116 — higher rent, higher home prices.
Dallas and Houston offer 8–12% higher pay than San Antonio with moderate COL increases. If you’re early-career and prioritize cost savings and local-family ties, San Antonio’s lower housing costs make it attractive; a mid-level dev keeping a San Antonio salary can have similar or better real purchasing power than peers in Austin on higher nominal pay.
Commuting for on-site roles is feasible within the I‑35 corridor but daily commutes to Austin or Dallas are impractical; many developers choose remote work or hybrid arrangements. Employers increasingly permit remote hires, so relocation is less necessary for salary gains—if a company offers remote pay parity with Austin/Dallas, relocating to San Antonio yields significantly more take-home value due to local lower COL.
Career progression for a .NET developer in San Antonio
Typical progression: entry-level (0–2 years) focuses on C#, ASP. NET, T-SQL, source control and unit testing; expect salaries near $60–70k.
Mid-level (3–7 years) adds system design, Azure services, microservices, and CI/CD ownership; salaries move toward $85–100k. Senior (8+ years) combines architecture, leadership, and cross-team impact — salaries commonly reach $110–130k depending on domain (financial systems, cloud modernization).
Accelerators: gaining Azure certifications (AZ-104/AZ-305), full-stack experience (Blazor/React + . NET backend), and domain expertise in financial or energy systems.
Local opportunities to accelerate include moving into fintech teams at USAA, cloud migration projects at Rackspace, or technical lead roles at growing H‑E‑B digital teams. Network at local meetups (San Antonio .
NET User Group) and contribute to company modernization projects to shorten time between levels.
Negotiation tips specific to San Antonio .NET roles
When negotiating, reference local comps: $70–90k for mid roles is typical, $110–130k for senior engineers with architecture responsibilities. If the employer is local only, use San Antonio comparables (USAA, Rackspace) and emphasize domain experience (payments, cloud migrations) to justify the upper range.
For remote offers originating from Austin/Dallas firms, negotiate for remote pay parity or a geographic differential — many companies will match part of the higher metro rate. Prioritize benefits that matter locally: hybrid work (reduces commute costs), professional development budgets for Azure certifications, RSUs/bonus structures, and flexible PTO.
Cultural note: many San Antonio employers value fit and long-term retention, so highlight local community ties and examples of cross-team collaboration. If switching from a lower-paying local role, request a 10–15% increase to reflect skills gained or a sign-on bonus if base pay is constrained.
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