Registered Nurse Salary: San Francisco vs Seattle
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 $15,000 more in San Francisco, Seattle wins on what actually matters: after tax and cost of living, its real salary is $15,557 higher in equivalent buying power ($46,900 vs $31,343).
Real salary $31,343 equivalent
Entry (25th)$91,000
Median (50th)$115,000
Senior (75th)$146,000
Top (90th)$182,000
40% premium vs national median. Registered Nurses in San Francisco earn approximately 40% higher than the US national median for this role — a $33,000 premium on annual base salary. This reflects San Francisco's position as a higher-cost labor market where employers must match local wage norms.
Cost-of-living adjusted picture. Adjusted for San Francisco's cost-of-living index (224), the median Registered Nurse salary buys the equivalent of $51,339 in a US-average-cost city. That's $30,661 less purchasing power than the national median — the higher nominal salary doesn't fully offset local costs.
HIGHER REAL PAY
Seattle, WANo state tax
Real salary $46,900 equivalent
Entry (25th)$79,000
Median (50th)$100,000
Senior (75th)$127,000
Top (90th)$159,000
22% premium vs national median. Registered Nurses in Seattle earn approximately 22% higher than the US national median for this role — a $18,000 premium on annual base salary. This reflects Seattle's position as a higher-cost labor market where employers must match local wage norms.
Cost-of-living adjusted picture. Adjusted for Seattle's cost-of-living index (150), the median Registered Nurse salary buys the equivalent of $66,667 in a US-average-cost city. That's $15,333 less purchasing power than the national median — the higher nominal salary doesn't fully offset local costs.
Head-to-head breakdown
| Metric | San Francisco | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| Median gross salary | $115,000 ✓ | $100,000 |
| State income tax | 9.3% | None ✓ |
| Est. take-home pay | $70,208 | $70,350 ✓ |
| Cost-of-living index | 224 | 150 ✓ |
| Real salary (COL-adjusted take-home) | $31,343 | $46,900 ✓ |
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.