Scene Understanding Engineer.
San Antonio.
$154,000
median salary, 12% below the national average
$117,000 to $201,000. Last updated April 2026.
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Data points to own the conversation.
Here is what Scene Understanding Engineers actually make in San Antonio: $117,000 at the 25th percentile, $154,000 at the median, and $201,000 at the 75th. That is 12% below the national average. San Antonio has a major military presence with Joint Base San Antonio and a growing cybersecurity hub. The number on your offer letter will depend on what you bring and how you ask.
Salary range
Where do you fall?
Salary by experience
The gap between entry and lead level is typically $139,000. Where you land depends on years of experience and what you bring to the table.
Entry (0-2 yrs)
$100,000
to $123,000
Mid (3-5 yrs)
$131,000
to $162,000
Senior (6-9 yrs)
$169,000
to $200,000
Lead (10+ yrs)
$193,000
to $239,000
Salary trend
+7% YoYTotal compensation
Base salary is not the full picture. Equity, bonus, and signing can add $39,000 to the total package.
Base
$154,000
Equity
$22,000
Bonus
$14,000
Signing
$3,000
Estimated total: $193,000
How San Antonio compares
San Antonio, TX
$154,000
Cost of living: 9% below average
National Average
$175,000
San Antonio is $21,000 below
Scene Understanding Engineer salary by city
Salary by role in San Antonio
What you should know
If you are interviewing for Scene Understanding Engineer roles in San Antonio, here is what you are walking into. 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. Expertise in semantic segmentation, panoptic segmentation, and holistic scene parsing drives compensation. Engineers who can build systems that understand spatial relationships, predict scene layouts, and reason about physical properties of environments are highly valued. Experience with indoor and outdoor scene reconstruction and scene graph generation adds premiums.
Junior scene understanding engineers start at $105,000 to $135,000. Mid level engineers with deployed perception systems earn $155,000 to $195,000. Senior engineers reach $200,000 to $250,000. Principal perception scientists at autonomous systems companies can exceed $320,000 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. Equity at robotics and autonomous systems startups adds 20 to 35% of total compensation. Performance bonuses of 15 to 25% are standard. Signing bonuses of $20,000 to $50,000 are common. Benefits often include hardware lab access and research publication support. 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 $154,000, 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 Scene Understanding Engineers in San Antonio runs from $117,000 to $201,000. 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
Considering a related role?
- A AI Engineer in San Antonio earns $153,000 (1% less)
- The highest-paying role in San Antonio is Distinguished Engineer at $303,000
Common questions.
Scene Understanding Engineer salary in other cities
Other salaries in San Antonio
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