Salary comparison
Registered Nurses: Salem vs Santa Cruz
Santa Cruz, CA pays about 29.8% more for registered nurses on paper — $170,960 vs $131,750. But once you factor in what it costs to live there, Santa Cruz comes out ahead by $39,210 a year in real buying power.
Salem, OR
$131,750
$109,870
$132,930
$63.34
100
$131,750/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
Santa Cruz, CA
$170,960
$122,310
$210,360
$82.19
100
$170,960/yr
Median adjusted for local cost of living.
What the numbers mean in practice
The headline gap is $39,210 a year (29.8%) in favor of Santa Cruz. That is the raw salary difference before any living costs.
Salem runs a cost index of 100 against the national baseline of 100; Santa Cruz sits at 100. After adjusting the median for those costs, Santa Cruz is the better deal by $39,210 a year — that is what each paycheck actually buys locally.
If you are weighing a move from Salem to Santa Cruz for this role, the raise needs to beat 29.8% to come out ahead after living costs. Anything below that and you are earning more on paper but keeping less.
Common questions
Where do registered nurses earn more, Salem or Santa Cruz?
Santa Cruz pays $170,960 on median — about 29.8% more than Salem ($131,750). 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$170,960 of real buying power versus $131,750 in the other city.