Salary comparison
Nurse Practitioners: Riverside vs Chico
Riverside, CA pays about 1.7% more for nurse practitioners on paper — $169,920 vs $167,080. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Riverside comes out ahead by $2,840 a year in real buying power.
Riverside, CA
$169,920
$155,270
$195,670
$81.69
100
$169,920/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Chico, CA
$167,080
$156,430
$179,410
$80.33
100
$167,080/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $2,840 a year (1.7%) in favor of Riverside. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Riverside runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Chico sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Riverside is the better deal by $2,840 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Chico to Riverside for this role, the raise needs to beat 1.7% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do nurse practitioners earn more, Riverside or Chico?
Riverside pays $169,920 on median — about 1.7% more than Chico ($167,080). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Riverside. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Riverside gives you roughly$169,920 of real buying power versus $167,080 in the other city.