Salary comparison
Nursing Assistants: New York vs Santa Rosa
New York, NY pays about 0.1% more for nursing assistants on paper — $49,270 vs $49,240. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, New York comes out ahead by $30 a year in real buying power.
New York, NY
$49,270
$47,430
$55,170
$23.69
100
$49,270/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Rosa, CA
$49,240
$47,150
$52,880
$23.67
100
$49,240/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $30 a year (0.1%) in favor of New York. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
New York runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Rosa sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, New York is the better deal by $30 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Rosa to New York 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 nursing assistants earn more, New York or Santa Rosa?
New York pays $49,270 on median — about 0.1% more than Santa Rosa ($49,240). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
New York. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, New York gives you roughly$49,270 of real buying power versus $49,240 in the other city.