Registered Nurse Salary: Houston vs Dallas
Same job, two cities — but the paycheck that looks bigger isn’t always the one that goes further. We compare gross pay, take-home after tax, and cost-of-living-adjusted real salary.
THE VERDICT
Even though a Registered Nurse grosses $1,000 more in Dallas, Houston wins on what actually matters: after tax and cost of living, its real salary is $2,851 higher in equivalent buying power ($68,804 vs $65,953).
HIGHER REAL PAY
Houston, TXNo state tax
Real salary $68,804 equivalent
Entry (25th)$70,000
Median (50th)$89,000
Senior (75th)$112,000
Top (90th)$140,000
9% premium vs national median. Registered Nurses in Houston earn approximately 9% higher than the US national median for this role — a $7,000 premium on annual base salary. This reflects Houston's position as a higher-cost labor market where employers must match local wage norms.
Cost-of-living adjusted picture. Adjusted for Houston's cost-of-living index (91), the median Registered Nurse salary buys the equivalent of $97,802 in a US-average-cost city. That's $15,802 more purchasing power than the national median — a meaningful real-wage advantage.
Dallas, TXNo state tax
Real salary $65,953 equivalent
Entry (25th)$72,000
Median (50th)$90,000
Senior (75th)$114,000
Top (90th)$143,000
10% premium vs national median. Registered Nurses in Dallas earn approximately 10% higher than the US national median for this role — a $8,000 premium on annual base salary. This reflects Dallas's position as a higher-cost labor market where employers must match local wage norms.
Cost-of-living adjusted picture. Adjusted for Dallas's cost-of-living index (96), the median Registered Nurse salary buys the equivalent of $93,750 in a US-average-cost city. That's $11,750 more purchasing power than the national median — a meaningful real-wage advantage.
Head-to-head breakdown
| Metric | Houston | Dallas |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross salary | $89,000 | $90,000 ✓ |
| State income tax | None ✓ | None |
| Est. take-home pay | $62,612 | $63,315 ✓ |
| Cost-of-living index | 91 ✓ | 96 |
| Real salary (COL-adjusted take-home) | $68,804 ✓ | $65,953 |
Real salary = take-home pay (after federal tax, state tax, and FICA) adjusted for each city’s cost-of-living index, shown in US-average-cost dollars. Take-home uses a 22% federal + 7.65% FICA estimate plus state tax; your actual rate depends on filing status and deductions. Methodology · Updated Q3 2026.