Salary comparison
Physical Therapists: Decatur vs Santa Cruz
Decatur, IL pays about 0.6% more for physical therapists on paper — $125,600 vs $124,790. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Decatur comes out ahead by $810 a year in real buying power.
Decatur, IL
$125,600
$98,610
$147,630
$60.39
100
$125,600/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Cruz, CA
$124,790
$103,690
$144,840
$60.00
100
$124,790/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $810 a year (0.6%) in favor of Decatur. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Decatur runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Cruz sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Decatur is the better deal by $810 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Cruz to Decatur for this role, the raise needs to beat 0.6% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do physical therapists earn more, Decatur or Santa Cruz?
Decatur pays $125,600 on median — about 0.6% more than Santa Cruz ($124,790). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Decatur. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Decatur gives you roughly$125,600 of real buying power versus $124,790 in the other city.