Salary comparison
Nurse Practitioners: Santa Cruz vs Chico
Santa Cruz, CA pays about 0.1% more for nurse practitioners on paper — $167,190 vs $167,080. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Santa Cruz comes out ahead by $110 a year in real buying power.
Santa Cruz, CA
$167,190
$135,960
$200,610
$80.38
100
$167,190/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 $110 a year (0.1%) in favor of Santa Cruz. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Santa Cruz runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Chico sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Santa Cruz is the better deal by $110 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Chico to Santa Cruz for this role, the raise needs to beat 0.1% 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, Santa Cruz or Chico?
Santa Cruz pays $167,190 on median — about 0.1% more than Chico ($167,080). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Santa Cruz. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Santa Cruz gives you roughly$167,190 of real buying power versus $167,080 in the other city.