Salary comparison
Medical Assistants: Ithaca vs Napa
Napa, CA pays about 15.4% more for medical assistants on paper — $62,050 vs $53,760. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Napa comes out ahead by $8,290 a year in real buying power.
Ithaca, NY
$53,760
$45,280
$53,760
$25.85
100
$53,760/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Napa, CA
$62,050
$50,530
$79,730
$29.83
100
$62,050/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $8,290 a year (15.4%) in favor of Napa. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Ithaca runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Napa sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Napa is the better deal by $8,290 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Ithaca to Napa for this role, the raise needs to beat 15.4% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do medical assistants earn more, Ithaca or Napa?
Napa pays $62,050 on median — about 15.4% more than Ithaca ($53,760). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Napa. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Napa gives you roughly$62,050 of real buying power versus $53,760 in the other city.