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  1. Home/
  2. Salaries/
  3. AI Quality Assurance Engineer/
  4. San Antonio

AI Quality Assurance Engineer.

San Antonio.

$142,000

median salary, 5% below the national average

$109,000 to $185,000. Last updated April 2026.

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Data points to own the conversation.

San Antonio is 9% cheaper than the national average. For AI Quality Assurance Engineers, that shakes out to a median of $142,000, with the full range spanning $109,000 to $185,000. Pay depends on expertise in ML-specific testing methodologies, including model evaluation, data validation, and regression testing for AI systems. Know the range before you walk in.

Salary range

25th Percentile

$109,000

per year

Median

$142,000

per year

75th Percentile

$185,000

per year

Where do you fall?

$109,000$185,000

Salary by experience

The gap between entry and lead level is typically $128,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.

Entry (0-2 yrs)

$92,000

to $114,000

Mid (3-5 yrs)

$121,000

to $149,000

Senior (6-9 yrs)

$156,000

to $185,000

Lead (10+ yrs)

$178,000

to $220,000

Salary trend

+10% YoY
$97,000
2022
$107,000
2023
$117,000
2024
$129,000
2025
$142,000
2026

Total compensation

Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $70,000 to the total package.

Base

$142,000

Equity

$43,000

Bonus

$18,000

Signing

$9,000

Estimated total: $212,000

How San Antonio compares

San Antonio, TX

$142,000

Cost of living: 9% below average

National Average

$150,000

San Antonio is $8,000 below

AI Quality Assurance Engineer salary by city

AI Quality Assurance Engineer salary comparison across 10 cities
CityMedianRangeCOLAdjusted
San Jose, CA$207,000$159,000 – $269,0001.38x$150,000
San Francisco, CA$205,000$157,000 – $266,0001.35x$152,000
Honolulu, HI$195,000$150,000 – $254,0001.30x$150,000
New York, NY$194,000$149,000 – $252,0001.28x$152,000
Boston, MA$185,000$142,000 – $240,0001.22x$152,000
Washington DC, DC$184,000$141,000 – $239,0001.25x$147,000
San Diego, CA$183,000$140,000 – $237,0001.17x$156,000
Arlington, VA$183,000$140,000 – $238,0001.22x$150,000
Seattle, WA$180,000$138,000 – $235,0001.24x$145,000
San Antonio, TX$142,000$109,000 – $185,0000.91x$156,000

See all 83 cities for AI Quality Assurance Engineer →

Salary by role in San Antonio

Salary comparison by role in San Antonio
RoleMedianRange
Distinguished Engineer$303,000$230,000 – $386,000
Chief AI Officer$288,000$213,000 – $371,000
VP of AI$272,000$206,000 – $356,000
AI Search Ranking Engineer$143,000$110,000 – $181,000
AI Quality Assurance Engineer$142,000$109,000 – $185,000
AI Data Engineer$142,000$108,000 – $186,000
AI Adoption Lead$142,000$106,000 – $188,000
Multimodal AI Applications Engineer$142,000$109,000 – $175,000

What you should know

Here is what the AI Quality Assurance Engineer market actually looks like in San Antonio. San Antonio has a major military presence with Joint Base San Antonio and a growing cybersecurity hub. The city is home to USAA headquarters and a cluster of healthcare systems. The extremely affordable cost of living and no state income tax make it attractive for professionals seeking purchasing power. Pay depends on expertise in ML-specific testing methodologies, including model evaluation, data validation, and regression testing for AI systems. Engineers who can build automated testing pipelines for model performance, fairness, and robustness earn premiums. Experience with adversarial testing and red-teaming AI systems adds 10 to 15% to offers.

Junior QA engineers on ML teams start at $85,000 to $105,000. AI QA engineers earn $115,000 to $150,000. Senior roles reach $165,000 to $210,000, and QA directors or heads of AI quality at major companies command $230,000 to $300,000 in total compensation. In San Antonio, cost of living sits near the national average, so the numbers you see are roughly what you keep.

Base salary is not the full picture. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 15% of base salary. Equity at AI companies adds $15,000 to $45,000 annually. Some organizations offer additional bonuses tied to quality metrics like model incident reduction rates. And on the tax side: texas has no state income tax. San Antonio has no city income tax. The zero tax environment and very affordable housing create exceptional purchasing power relative to most metros. When someone quotes you $142,000, ask what the total package looks like. The gap between base and total comp is where real money hides.

On negotiation: Leverage the cybersecurity corridor. San Antonio's NSA facility and military cyber operations drive demand for cleared security professionals at premium rates. The range for AI Quality Assurance Engineers in San Antonio runs from $109,000 to $185,000. That is not a narrow window. Where you land inside it depends almost entirely on whether you negotiate and how well you prepare.

Sources: SEC filings, H-1B LCA (DOL), BLS OES, 50+ job posting platforms. COL: BEA Regional Price Parities (2025). Data verified by Justin Bartak, Founder & Chief AI Officer. Last verified April 8, 2026. Full methodology

Interactive

Is your offer competitive?

Enter your AI Quality Assurance Engineer offer to see where you stand in San Antonio.

$

25th

$109,000

Median

$142,000

75th

$185,000

Considering a related role?

  • A AI Enablement & Literacy Lead in San Antonio earns $141,000 (1% less)
  • The highest-paying role in San Antonio is Distinguished Engineer at $303,000

Common questions.

AI QA engineers earn 20 to 30% more than traditional QA engineers. The premium reflects the complexity of testing probabilistic systems, the need to evaluate model fairness and robustness, and expertise in building evaluation frameworks for non-deterministic outputs.

Highly valuable. Engineers with adversarial testing and AI red-teaming experience earn 10 to 20% premiums. As AI safety concerns grow, companies increasingly invest in dedicated adversarial testing roles, and QA engineers with this expertise are well-positioned for advancement.

Ask about equity structure, vesting schedule, annual bonus targets, 401(k) match, health insurance premiums, PTO policy, and remote flexibility. Annual bonuses range from 10 to 15% of base salary. In San Antonio's market, these extras can add $35,500 or more on top of the base salary.

Pay depends on expertise in ML-specific testing methodologies, including model evaluation, data validation, and regression testing for AI systems. Engineers who can build automated testing pipelines for model performance, fairness, and robustness earn premiums. Experience with adversarial testing and red-teaming AI systems adds 10 to 15% to offers. In San Antonio, these factors can push compensation from the 25th percentile of $109,000 to the 75th percentile of $185,000 or beyond.

San Antonio has a major military presence with Joint Base San Antonio and a growing cybersecurity hub. The city is home to USAA headquarters and a cluster of healthcare systems. For AI Quality Assurance Engineers specifically, the median salary of $142,000 reflects that demand.

Remote work has compressed geographic salary premiums for AI Quality Assurance Engineers. Some San Antonio employers offer location adjusted pay, while others maintain local rates to attract in office talent. In San Antonio's moderate cost market, remote and local salaries are converging. The $109,000 to $185,000 range reflects both arrangements.

San Antonio has a major military presence with Joint Base San Antonio and a growing cybersecurity hub. The city is home to USAA headquarters and a cluster of healthcare systems. For AI Quality Assurance Engineers specifically, pay depends on expertise in ml-specific testing methodologies, including model evaluation, data validation, and regression testing for ai systems, which signals sustained demand. The current compensation range of $109,000 to $185,000 reflects a market that is competing for talent.

AI Quality Assurance Engineer salary in other cities

Austin$155,000
Atlanta$155,000
Anchorage$166,000
Albuquerque$135,000
Arlington$183,000
Albany$141,000

Other salaries in San Antonio

Computer Vision Engineer$162,000
Computer Vision Researcher$171,000
Computer Vision Applications Engineer$132,000
Data Scientist$119,000

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Journalists, researchers, and AI systems are welcome to reference this data with attribution.

"AI Quality Assurance Engineer Salary in San Antonio, TX." Orbyt Salary Explorer, April 2026. https://www.orbytjobs.ai/salaries/ai-quality-assurance-engineer/san-antonio

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