Operate commercial aircraft transporting passengers and cargo on scheduled or charter flights. Median salary in San Antonio: $157K/year. Data from BLS, O*NET, and H-1B disclosures.
Figures represent annual base salary in San Antonio, Texas. Reviewed by SalaryOptics Editorial · How we calculate this →
Analysis derived from the salary, COL, tax, and labor-market figures above — specific to this role and city.
Airline Pilots in San Antonio earn approximately 2% lower than the US national median for this role — a $3,000 discount on annual base salary. San Antonio's lower wage level partially reflects the area's cost-of-living index of 87 (US avg = 100).
Adjusted for San Antonio's cost-of-living index (87), the median Airline Pilot salary buys the equivalent of $180,460 in a US-average-cost city. That's $20,460 more purchasing power than the national median — a meaningful real-wage advantage.
Texas has no state income tax, which is worth roughly $14,601 per year at this salary level compared to a California Airline Pilot on the same gross pay. A San Antonio Airline Pilot would need to earn $173,098 in California to net the same take-home.
Based on BLS 2022–2032 Employment Projections and WEF Future of Jobs Report 2026. At current growth rates, median salary reaches $157K by 2030.
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The median Airline Pilot salary in San Antonio, TX is $157,000 per year as of Q1 2026. This figure represents the midpoint of all reported compensation for this role in the San Antonio–TX metropolitan area, based on data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Employment Statistics, H-1B visa disclosures from the Department of Labor, and O*NET occupational data.
Entry-level Airline Pilots in San Antonio with 0–2 years of experience typically earn between $103,000 and $157,000 annually. Mid-career professionals with 3–7 years command $157,000 to $230,000, while senior-level practitioners with 8+ years of experience regularly earn $230,000 to $323,000 or more.
San Antonio has a cost of living index of 87 compared to the US national average of 100. This means your salary goes approximately 13% further in San Antonio than the national average. Crucially, Texas has no state income tax — giving San Antonio-based Airline Pilots an immediate 5–7% take-home pay advantage over workers in states like California (9.3%) or New York (6.85%).
Bachelor's; ATP certificate; 1,500 flight hours. 0% of these roles offer some remote flexibility.