CA · San Diego · Updated October 15, 2026

Pharmacy Technician jobs in San Diego, CA

The median pharmacy technician pay in the San Diego area is $23.82 per hour ($49,540 a year), with the typical range running from $22.28 to $29.85. 9 open roles with published pay are listed for San Diego. The CMS hospital directory lists 9 hospitals in San Diego. Your free pay report adds named employers and the roles open near San Diego.

Open Pharmacy Technician roles in San Diego

PermanentPosted 6 days ago

Pharmacy Technician

ScionHealth · San Diego, CA

$23.00–$27.90/ hour
  • External
  • Req 96000111008
New this week
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More open Pharmacy Technician roles in San Diego

1 more open role from employers in San Diego. Each employer’s range arrives with your free pay report.

PermanentPosted today

Pharmacy Technician

CVS Health · San Diego, CA

Pay range with your report
  • Full time
  • Req R0999692
New this week
View role

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Named employers near San Diego, what they pay and the roles open now. Free for candidates, email only.

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Who is hiring pharmacy technicians near San Diego

EmployerRolesMedian pay / hour
Sharp HealthCare5$35.27
Sharp Healthcare3$33.39
ScionHealth1$25.45

Pharmacy Technician pay in San Diego, CA

The metro median is in line with the California statewide median of $23.86 per hour. Nationally the median is $20.90 per hour. BLS counts about 3,840 pharmacy technicians employed in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area, 2.5 per 1,000 jobs. Employment is less concentrated here than in the country as a whole (location quotient 0.79).

LevelPer hourPer yearCompared with U.S.
Lowest 10%$19.00$39,5209% below U.S. median
Lower quartile$22.28$46,3407% above U.S. median
Median$23.82$49,54014% above U.S. median
Upper quartile$29.85$62,09043% above U.S. median
Top 10%$37.78$78,58081% above U.S. median

How San Diego ranks

  • 23rd of 386 U.S. metro areas by median hourly pay
  • 139th of 341 after adjusting for local prices
  • 7th of 24 California metro areas

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024, Pharmacy Technicians (SOC 29-2052), all industries. This is what employers report paying, not an offer for a specific role.

What your pay buys in San Diego

  • Overall prices in San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad run 12% above the U.S. average (index 111.9, U.S. = 100).
  • Housing is the biggest driver: 79% above the U.S. average (index 179.3).
  • Adjusted for local prices, a $23.82 median hour buys what $21.29 buys at the national price level, 2% above the national median.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metropolitan area, 2024. Prices are for the metro area, not for a single neighborhood.

Estimate your San Diego paycheck

Estimated weekly gross$858
  • Per year: $42,876
  • Per month: $3,573

Gross pay before taxes and benefits, from BLS pay levels for the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area. For take-home pay use the take-home pay calculator.

Travel assignment per diem in San Diego

ItemFederal rate
Lodging per night$205
Meals and incidentals per day$86
Per week (7 nights, 7 days)$2,037
13-week assignment$26,481

Travel pharmacy technician assignments commonly pay housing and meals stipends. The GSA per diem is the federal benchmark for what those stipends can be tax-free. Whether a stipend is tax-free for you depends on keeping a valid tax home, so confirm with your recruiter and a tax professional. Compare with your offer in the travel pay calculator.

Source: U.S. General Services Administration per diem rates, fiscal year 2026 (average across months).

Hospitals in San Diego

CMS lists 9 hospitals in San Diego, 5 of the 5 rated ones with 4 or 5 stars. Hospitals are a major employer of pharmacy technicians.

HospitalTypeOwnershipCMS ratingEmergency
Uc San Diego Health Hillcrest - Hillcrest Med Ctr
San Diego, CA
Acute careNonprofit5 of 5Yes
Va San Diego Healthcare System
San Diego, CA
Acute Care - Veterans AdministrationGovernment and federal5 of 5Yes
Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Diego
San Diego, CA
Acute careNonprofit4 of 5Yes
Scripps Mercy Hospital
San Diego, CA
Acute careNonprofit4 of 5Yes
Sharp Memorial Hospital
San Diego, CA
Acute careNonprofit4 of 5Yes
Nmc San Diego
San Diego, CA
Acute Care - Department of DefenseGovernment and federalNot ratedYes
Rady Children's Hospital - San Diego
San Diego, CA
Children'sNonprofitNot ratedNo
Aurora San Diego
San Diego, CA
PsychiatricFor-profitNot ratedNo
Sharp Mesa Vista Hospital
San Diego, CA
PsychiatricNonprofitNot ratedNo

Source: CMS Hospital General Information, public data. A directory of hospitals, not a list of our clients.

Pharmacy Technician pay in nearby cities

CityDistanceMedian payPopulation
La Mesa, CA7 mi$23.82/hr60,767
Santee, CA9 mi$23.82/hr59,104
Temecula, CA47 mi$23.46/hr112,431

Pharmacy Technician jobs in California · Pharmacy Technician jobs nationwide

License and tax basics in California

State registration or license, as the state requires. Credentials are issued state by state, so confirm what California requires for your role with the California licensing board and with your recruiter before you commit to a start date.

California taxes wage income. Use your own rates in the take-home pay calculator.

California state guide

Other healthcare roles in San Diego

San Diego city guide: hospitals, employers and licensing

Common questions

How much do pharmacy technicians make in San Diego, CA?

Pharmacy Technicians in the San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad metro area have a median pay of $23.82 per hour, about $49,540 a year. The middle half earn between $22.28 and $29.85 per hour (BLS, May 2024).

Is San Diego a good place for pharmacy technicians once cost of living is counted?

San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad ranks 139th of 341 metro areas for pharmacy technician pay after adjusting for local prices, and 23rd of 386 before adjusting. Overall prices run 12% above the U.S. average.

Who is hiring pharmacy technicians in San Diego?

We list 9 open roles with published pay from 3 employers in San Diego. Your free report adds named employers and pay near San Diego.

Do I need a California license to work in San Diego as a pharmacy technician?

State registration or license, as the state requires. Credentials are issued state by state, so confirm what California requires for your role with the California licensing board and with your recruiter before you commit to a start date. Confirm with the board before you accept a role.

What is the per diem for a travel assignment in San Diego?

The federal per diem benchmark in San Diego is $205 a night for lodging and $86 a day for meals and incidentals, about $2,037 a week (GSA, fiscal year 2026). Your actual stipend depends on the assignment and your tax home.

Does Valorem Health place pharmacy technicians in San Diego?

Yes. We place healthcare staff in San Diego and across California. Tell us your profession and we email the roles open near San Diego.

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What do employers near San Diego pay pharmacy technicians? Get the report.

Tell us your role and city. Within 24 hours you get an email with three things, by employer name. It costs you nothing, because employers pay us.

  1. 1
    Pay for your role at other employers

    The hourly pay at named employers near you, so you see who pays most.

  2. 2
    What they are offering now

    The pay range and median across current postings, and how many were posted this month.

  3. 3
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Pay report · Pharm Tech near San Diego, CA
Valorem Health Shift ReportFrom your recruiting team · [email protected]

Your Pharm Tech pay reportSan Diego, CA · pay published by employers, collected October 15, 2026

1Pay for your role at other employers

  • Sharp HealthCareSan Diego, CA · 10 postings$33.39/ hr$25–$40
  • Sharp HealthcareSan Diego, CA · 5 postings$33.39/ hr$25–$39
  • Salinas Valley Memorial Healthcare SystemSalinas, CA · 2 postings$37.80/ hr$35–$40
  • CommonSpirit HealthSANTA MARIA, CA · 6 postings$35.76/ hr$26–$45

Median posted pay per hour, with the range each employer published.

2What they are offering now

Low$24Median$32.09High$39

49 Pharm Tech postings with published pay in California, 46 of them posted in the last 30 days. Month-by-month history by employer comes with your full report.

3Open now: 49 Pharm Tech roles

  1. PHARMACY TECHNICIANPermanent
    $30.16–$37.70/ hour
    CommonSpirit Health · Santa Maria, CA · posted today
  2. Pharmacy TechnicianPermanent
    $52k–$67k/ year
    Military Treatment Facilities under DHA · Camp Pendleton, CA · posted today

+ 47 more in your report. Each one has pay, shift and start date.

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