salaryThe typical big-city registered nurse earns $97,280 a year. The highest pay is in San Jose, CA at $216,740, but high pay often comes with high rent. What matters is the share of pay left after housing, so we ranked cities by how much of a nurse's median salary goes to typical rent.
Top 10: rent takes the smallest share of a nurse's pay
- 1Vallejo, CApay $203,290 · rent $2,492/mo14.7% of pay
- 2Toledo, OHpay $81,050 · rent $994/mo14.7% of pay
- 3Sacramento, CApay $171,460 · rent $2,152/mo15.1% of pay
- 4Pasadena, TXpay $99,830 · rent $1,257/mo15.1% of pay
- 5Berkeley, CApay $186,610 · rent $2,355/mo15.1% of pay
- 6McAllen, TXpay $80,540 · rent $1,026/mo15.3% of pay
- 7Salem, ORpay $131,750 · rent $1,690/mo15.4% of pay
- 8Shreveport, LApay $80,080 · rent $1,040/mo15.6% of pay
- 9Fargo, NDpay $82,120 · rent $1,080/mo15.8% of pay
- 10Chico, CApay $127,360 · rent $1,675/mo15.8% of pay
In Vallejo, CA, rent takes only 14.7% of a nurse's salary, leaving about $14,449 a month before taxes for everything else. Most cities on this list pair solid hospital pay with rents well below the national level.
Hardest cities for nurses
| City | Nurse pay | Rent | Rent / pay |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boca Raton, FL | $91,380 | $2,932 | 38.5% |
| Cambridge, MA | $106,180 | $3,383 | 38.2% |
| Port St. Lucie, FL | $82,090 | $2,470 | 36.1% |
| Boston, MA | $106,180 | $3,112 | 35.2% |
| Cape Coral, FL | $82,860 | $2,339 | 33.9% |
Even with above-average pay, nurses in these cities spend a large share of income on rent. Many share housing or commute from cheaper towns.
See registered nurse pay in all 251 cities →
Pay: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, OEWS May 2025 (metro area medians). Rent: 2026 estimate from Census ACS 2020–2024 data updated with the BLS rent index.