Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA · BLS May 2025

Web Design Rates in Santa Cruz, CA

The median web developer wage in the Santa Cruz area is $39.11 an hour, 12% below the US figure. A freelancer there should charge about $50–$80 an hour — $900–$1,450 for a five-page site.

Pages

5
What the site needs

What to charge

$900–$1,450

About 18 hours at $50–$80 an hour, the freelance rate in Santa Cruz. Plus $45–$100 a month for hosting and updates.

Web designer pay in Santa Cruz

Median web developer wage
$39.11/hr
$81,300 a year
Freelance rate
$50–$80
an hour, estimated
Rank among metros
88 of 191
with published data
Santa Cruz areaMedian hourlyAverage hourlyEmployed
Web developers$39.11$43.9340
Web and digital interface designers$54.91$57.6860

BLS area: Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA. A dash is a figure BLS did not publish for it.

Santa Cruz against California and the US

AreaMedian web developer wageFreelance rate
Santa Cruz area$39.11$50–$80
California$57.48$70–$115
United States$44.54$55–$90

What to charge for a website in Santa Cruz

At $50–$80 an hour. Quote the project, not the hours; use these to check the quote pays at least what a local employee earns.

SitePriceMonthly
One-page site$500–$750$45–$100
Five-page business site$900–$1,450$45–$100
Five pages with online booking$1,100–$1,750$45–$100
Eight pages, copy written for them$1,950–$3,100$45–$100
Small online shop$1,550–$2,500$45–$100

For a particular kind of business, see website cost by business.

Find clients in Santa Cruz

Search Santa Cruz and the towns around it for local businesses with no website with the free finder.

Other metro areas in California

Questions

How much do web designers make in Santa Cruz?+

The median web developer wage in the Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA metro area is $39.11 an hour, about $81,300 a year (BLS, May 2025). That is 32% below the California figure.

How much do freelance web designers charge in Santa Cruz?+

About $50–$80 an hour: 1.25 to 2 times the employee wage, which covers self-employment tax, insurance, software and the hours nobody pays for.

How much does a website cost in Santa Cruz?+

A five-page small-business website built by a freelancer in the Santa Cruz area costs about $900–$1,450, plus $45–$100 a month for hosting and updates.

How many web developers work in Santa Cruz?+

BLS counts 40 employed web developers and 60 web and digital interface designers in the Santa Cruz metro area. Freelancers are not included.

Selling websites in Santa Cruz?

SitesGen finds the businesses around Santa Cruz with no website, builds each a finished one from its own photos and reviews, and writes the pitch.

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Wages: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates, for web developers (15-1254) and web and digital interface designers (15-1255). Those are employees' wages; freelance rates and prices here are estimates built from them, not BLS figures.