Salary comparison
Physical Therapists: Santa Cruz vs Santa Fe
Santa Fe, NM pays about 0.1% more for physical therapists on paper — $124,870 vs $124,790. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Santa Fe comes out ahead by $80 a year in real buying power.
Santa Cruz, CA
$124,790
$103,690
$144,840
$60.00
100
$124,790/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Fe, NM
$124,870
$103,340
$142,420
$60.03
100
$124,870/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $80 a year (0.1%) in favor of Santa Fe. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Santa Cruz runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Fe sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Santa Fe is the better deal by $80 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Santa Cruz to Santa Fe 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 physical therapists earn more, Santa Cruz or Santa Fe?
Santa Fe pays $124,870 on median — about 0.1% more than Santa Cruz ($124,790). Based on BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics.
Which city is the better deal after living costs?
Santa Fe. Once you divide each median by the local cost index, Santa Fe gives you roughly$124,870 of real buying power versus $124,790 in the other city.