Registered Nurses salary in Los Angeles, CA
Median pay for registered nurses in Los Angeles, CA: $129,000/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $43,050 – $170,140 · about 123,940 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($80,810) by +$48,190 (+60%).
What it's really worth in Los Angeles
With Los Angeles's cost of living at 115 (US=100), that $129,000 has the buying power of about $112,419 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $89,105 · median home $968,608 · median rent $2,909/mo.
How Los Angeles ranks for this job
On raw pay, Los Angeles, CA is 14th of the 187 metros we hold registered nurses wages for. Once Los Angeles's cost of living is applied, it ranks 19th.
Pay and living costs are roughly in step here, so Los Angeles sits in much the same place whether you look at raw salary or spending power.
What that salary buys in Los Angeles
A median home in Los Angeles, CA costs $968,608 — about 7.5× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $2,909/mo works out at 27% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where registered nurses earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Los Angeles.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Los Angeles | Rent vs Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $187,080 | +45% | 0.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $181,240 | +40% | 1.1× |
| San Jose, CA | $179,210 | +39% | 1.2× |
| Sacramento, CA | $157,810 | +22% | 0.8× |
Same job elsewhere in CA
| Metro | Median pay | vs Los Angeles | Rent vs Los Angeles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vallejo, CA | $187,080 | +45% | 0.8× |
| San Francisco, CA | $181,240 | +40% | 1.1× |
| San Jose, CA | $179,210 | +39% | 1.2× |
| Sacramento, CA | $157,810 | +22% | 0.8× |
Staying in CA keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Who hires registered nurses around Los Angeles
Large local employers in sectors that typically employ this role.
- County of Los Angeles · Government
- LA Unified School District · Education
- UCLA · Education
- Kaiser Permanente · Healthcare
Other jobs in Los Angeles
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.