Cost estimating salary: $135K median
The median advertised Cost estimating salary is $135K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $105K to $172K: counted from 114 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $65 an hour or $11,250 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $210K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll Cost estimating jobs
$135Kmedian advertised salary
$105K – $172Kmiddle half of roles
$145Kaverage advertised salary
114roles counted
Cost estimating salary by level
Lead roles advertise a median of $178K, 18% more than senior roles ($150K). The level comes from the job title; titles without a level word are counted separately.
| Level | Median salary | Middle half | Roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior | $150K | $134K–$176K | 20 |
| Lead and above | $178K | $145K–$210K | 29 |
| No level in the title | $122K | $95K–$150K | 64 |
Cost estimating salary by location
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| 🇺🇸California | $172K | 35 |
| 🇺🇸United States | $135K | 108 |
Skills that pay more for Cost estimating roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| Python | $192K | +$58K | 13 |
| Sensor fusion | $172K | +$36K | 13 |
| Computer Vision | $168K | +$33K | 14 |
| ERP | $160K | +$25K | 15 |
| Security clearance | $158K | +$22K | 17 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Apex Technology | $179K | 4 |
| Anduril Industries | $172K | 13 |
| Bild Ai | $150K | 3 |
| Re:Build Manufacturing | $132K | 3 |
| Shield AI | $132K | 3 |
| General Matter | $129K | 4 |
| Loenbro | $124K | 8 |
| ARCO/Murray National Construction | $122K | 5 |
| Apex Companies | $116K | 6 |
| ALTEN Technology USA | $92K | 4 |
| CannonDesign | $76K | 3 |
| CCC Intelligent Solutions | $69K | 3 |
Highest-paying open Cost estimating roles
All Cost estimating jobs- Manager, Global MobilityAdyen · 🇺🇸San Francisco$250K - $320KCost estimating
- Senior Director, Data Science, Core Insurance & NetworkOscar Health · 🇺🇸New York, New York, United States$240K - $315KLead and abovePythonSQLMachine Learning
- Senior / Staff Software Engineer — PlatformSnorkel AI · 🇺🇸New York City, NY (Hybrid); San Francisco, CA (Hybrid)$220K - $300KHybridLead and abovePythonTerraformAirflow
- Project Manager, Commercial ProjectsValar Atomics · 🇺🇸Torrance, California, United States$200K - $300KPMPMS ProjectCost estimating
- Chief Software Engineer, Space Ground SystemsAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States; Costa Mesa, Ca…$220K - $292KLead and aboveRustGoPython
- Construction Cost Management Lead, USNeko Health · 🇺🇸New York$236K - $289KHybridLead and aboveReconciliationsConstruction managementCost estimating
- Senior Ground Station Systems EngineerAstranis · 🇺🇸San Francisco$185K - $280KSeniorPythonMATLABSecurity clearance
- Principal Cost EngineerZoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$195K - $250KLead and aboveGoogle SheetsCost estimating
- Technology & Engineering LeadSixGen, Inc. · 🇺🇸Sterling, VA$200K - $250KLead and aboveDockerTerraformLinux
- Vehicle Architect — Conceptual SizingArcher · 🇺🇸San Jose, California, United States$173K - $238KPythonRollupsHigh-performance computing
- Senior/Staff Project Manager, Places & BuildZoox · 🇺🇸Foster City, CA$196K - $235KLead and aboveExcelMS ProjectControl systems
- Structural Design Engineer (SE) - Los AngelesGeneral Matter · 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA$170K - $230KConstruction managementAutoCADRevit
- Global Mobility LeadPerplexity · 🇺🇸San Francisco$125K - $225KHybridLead and aboveGoPayrollHRIS
- VP of Tenant CoordinationCentennial Real Estate Company LLC · 🇺🇸Chicago, IL (Hybrid)$195K - $225KHybridLead and aboveConstruction managementCost estimating
- VP of Tenant CoordinationCentennial Real Estate Company LLC · 🇺🇸Los Angeles, CA (Hybrid)$195K - $225KHybridLead and aboveConstruction managementCost estimating
- Product Support Engineer/Life Cycle Cost AnalystAnduril Industries · 🇺🇸Costa Mesa, California, United States$167K - $222KJiraComputer VisionSecurity clearance
- Program Manager (Financial Management)ACT1 Federal · 🇺🇸Dahlgren, VA$155K - $220KAgileEthereumSecurity clearance
- Head of ManufacturingCritical Energy · 🇺🇸Hawthorne, CA$180K - $220KLead and aboveMechanical assemblyCNC machiningWelding
- Director, Accounting – ManufacturingCrusoe · 🇺🇸Brighton, CO - US$185K - $215KLead and aboveExcelCPAERP
- Senior Construction ManagerCoreWeave · 🇺🇸Denver, CO$161K - $215KSeniorDriver's licensePMPData centers
Questions about Cost estimating pay
- What is the average Cost estimating salary?
- $145K a year on average and $135K at the median, across 114 open Cost estimating postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $105K to $172K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Cost estimating pay?
- Apex Technology ($179K), Anduril Industries ($172K), Bild Ai ($150K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a cost estimating a high-paying job?
- The median Cost estimating posting advertises $135K a year, less than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 22% below the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a cost estimating?
- A tenth of the postings offer $210K a year or more; the highest open Cost estimating role advertises up to $320K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Cost estimating salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $135K a year is about $65 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $11,250 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $50 to $82 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Cost estimating roles?
- Postings that ask for Python (+$58K, 13 postings), Sensor fusion (+$36K, 13 postings), Computer Vision (+$33K, 14 postings) advertise more than the $135K median of all Cost estimating postings with pay.
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Cost estimating roles at companies is $135K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $105K to $172K. Counted from 114 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/cost-estimating/
Free to use with the link.