Housing
Housing dominates the budget at $2,828 monthly, with a 1-bedroom city center apartment costing $2,576 and utilities adding $158. Internet runs $69 monthly, making housing account for 85% of total living expenses in this college town.
Market ranges & how to evaluate your offer
Most offers in Davis fall between $170k–$324k depending on seniority, location, and role scope.
Local vs National
Davis
Salary data is self-reported and varies by scope, company, and location. Use ranges, not single numbers.
Compare your total comp for Security Architect — pick seniority, enter an offer, and preview the layout. Percentiles use your selected seniority when market data is available.
Seniority-level breakdown for this market.
Cost of living breakdown for Davis, CA market.
Estimated monthly costs for this basket run about 135% of our comparable national baseline—plan for higher everyday spend than typical US markets.
How the estimated monthly cost bundle splits across categories for a typical Security Architect earner.
$3,311.49/ mo
HOUSING
$2,828.00 USD (85.4% of est. monthly costs)
FOOD
$243.32 USD (7.3% of est. monthly costs)
TRANSPORT
$112.50 USD (3.4% of est. monthly costs)
LIFESTYLE
$127.67 USD (3.9% of est. monthly costs)
Housing dominates the budget at $2,828 monthly, with a 1-bedroom city center apartment costing $2,576 and utilities adding $158. Internet runs $69 monthly, making housing account for 85% of total living expenses in this college town.
Food costs remain modest at $243 monthly, with restaurant meals at $20 and basic groceries like eggs ($3.22 per dozen) and chicken ($10.28/kg) reasonably priced. Dining expenses stay well below typical California metro levels, reflecting Davis's college town character.
Transportation costs $113 monthly for a public transit pass, which covers the city's bus system connecting UC Davis campus with residential areas. The single transit option reflects Davis's compact, bike-friendly layout where many professionals commute by bicycle.
Discretionary spending totals $128 monthly, with gym memberships at $42 and movie tickets at $18. Coffee costs $5 per cappuccino, making lifestyle expenses relatively affordable compared to the dominant housing costs.
Salary data only matters if you land the interview. Get a free AI-powered resume review and see how yours stacks up.
Location-specific ranges with optional cost-of-living adjustment.
Security Architect remote compensation varies significantly between location-adjusted and national pay bands. Companies like Microsoft and Amazon typically adjust salaries based on employee location, with San Francisco architects earning $180K-250K while Austin counterparts receive $145K-200K for identical roles. However, emerging tech companies often offer national pay bands, providing equal compensation regardless of location to attract top security talent.
The hybrid work trend has created tiered compensation structures for Security Architects, with fully remote positions often paying 5-15% less than hybrid roles requiring occasional office presence. When negotiating remote Security Architect positions, emphasize your ability to collaborate across distributed security teams and manage vendor relationships virtually. Highlight experience with remote security assessments and virtual incident response coordination to justify premium compensation.
Moving from high-cost metros like San Francisco or New York to lower-cost areas while maintaining remote Security Architect roles can dramatically improve purchasing power. A $200K Security Architect salary in Austin provides equivalent buying power to $280K in San Francisco, while remote work eliminates commute costs and office expenses. This geographic arbitrage allows security professionals to maximize both career growth and financial benefits.
Career Recovery Toolkit
Resume scans, interview prep, layoff explanations — one toolkit, one payment, lifetime access.
How adjacent roles compare in pay and scope.
$127k-$388k
High overlap in solution-architect roles
Details$109k-$400k
High overlap in solution-architect roles
Details$132k-$359k
High overlap in solution-architect roles
Details$165k-$506k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
Details$120k-$495k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
Details$112k-$432k
High overlap in software-engineer roles
DetailsPractical steps that move the number without damaging the relationship.
Start your ask above the median. You'll rarely be offered more than you ask, so anchor high and let the employer negotiate you down.
Stronger approach:
Say 'market data puts this role at $X–$Y' — not 'I was hoping for more'. External benchmarks are harder to argue against than personal expectations.
Stronger approach:
When base is stuck, negotiate equity vesting schedule, signing bonus, or accelerated refresh grants. Total comp has more levers than base alone.
Stronger approach:
Ask for 48 hours to review. This creates time to counter and signals that you take offers seriously — not that you are uncertain.
Stronger approach:
Generate an aware negotiation email using Google market positioning data.
Mock interviews tailored to Google's process and evaluation criteria.
Common questions about Security Architect compensation.
Tools built for professionals evaluating offers and preparing for interviews.
Our AI Interview Copilot listens to your live interview and feeds you real-time answers, so you walk in confident and walk out with the offer.
"I used the salary data to benchmark my offer, then generated a negotiation email. Got a 12% bump without a single awkward conversation."
