Best cities for healthcare pay after cost of living
Question 1
Where are you right now?
Why we ask: a laid-off week and a thinking-about-a-move week look nothing alike. No résumé, no account.
Key facts
- #1 Cambridge, MA: $180k
- #2 Mountain View, CA: $178k
- #3 San Francisco, CA: $173k
- 24 cities ranked in the United States
- Data as of November 2026
For comparison: $148k across the typical city in our data.
- 1Cambridge MA$180k
- 2Mountain View CA$178k
- 3San Francisco CA$173k
- 4Eden Prairie MN$155k
- 5Salt Lake City UT$146k
- 6New York NY$144k
- 7Austin TX$143k
- 8Charlotte NC$143k
- 9Brooklyn NY$142k
- 10Washington DC$142k
What stands out
- The top ten is tightly packed: Cambridge leads on $180k, and #10 Washington is at $142k.
- Brooklyn reaches #9 on a sample of 20 openings with pay posted, a smaller market than most of the top ten, so its rank can move more from month to month.
- New York is the largest market in the top ten, with 572 openings with pay posted behind its figure.
- Cities with fewer than 30 openings with pay posted are not ranked, and small differences between neighbouring ranks are not meaningful.
Why this ranking matters
What it shows
Pay in an industry varies by city as much as the cost of living does. Adjusting posted pay for local prices shows where the same industry's salary goes furthest.
How to use it
Use it to compare offers in the same industry across cities. A city with a lower headline salary can leave you ahead once prices are counted.
The top 25
- 1
Cambridge MA
$180k
- Median posted pay
- $190k
- State prices vs US average
- +6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 21
Hiring most here: Harvard University, Biogen, Alnylam Pharmaceuticals
Based on 21 openings.
- 2
Mountain View CA
$178k
- Median posted pay
- $196k
- Local prices vs US average
- +10%
- Openings with pay posted
- 60
Hiring most here: Intuit, Waymo, Google
Based on 60 openings.
- 3
San Francisco CA
$173k
- Median posted pay
- $200k
- Local prices vs US average
- +16%
- Openings with pay posted
- 344
Hiring most here: OpenAI, Anthropic, University Of California San Francisco Foundation
Based on 344 openings.
- 4
Eden Prairie MN
$155k
- Median posted pay
- $153k
- State prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 41
Hiring most here: Unitedhealth Group, LHC Group, Illinois Tool Works
Based on 41 openings.
- 5
Salt Lake City UT
$146k
- Median posted pay
- $145k
- State prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: L3HARRIS Technologies, iCapital, Harris Health Strategic Fund
Based on 32 openings.
- 6
New York NY
$144k
- Median posted pay
- $162k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 572
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 572 openings.
- 7
Austin TX
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $141k
- Local prices vs US average
- −2%
- Openings with pay posted
- 32
Hiring most here: Amazon, Advanced Micro Devices, Cloudflare
Based on 32 openings.
- 8
Charlotte NC
$143k
- Median posted pay
- $140k
- Local prices vs US average
- −3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 79
Hiring most here: Truist Financial, Scout Motors, SMBC Americas
Based on 79 openings.
- 9
Brooklyn NY
$142k
- Median posted pay
- $160k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 20
Hiring most here: SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, Williams-Sonoma, Altana AI
Based on 20 openings.
- 10
Washington DC
$142k
- Median posted pay
- $155k
- Local prices vs US average
- +9%
- Openings with pay posted
- 68
Hiring most here: Anduril Industries, CACI International, Shield AI
Based on 68 openings.
- 11
Los Angeles CA
$141k
- Median posted pay
- $160k
- Local prices vs US average
- +14%
- Openings with pay posted
- 105
Hiring most here: K2 Space, Cedars-sinai Medical Center, Apex Space
Based on 105 openings.
- 12
Seattle WA
$140k
- Median posted pay
- $156k
- Local prices vs US average
- +11%
- Openings with pay posted
- 30
Hiring most here: Amazon, Blue Origin, Shield AI
Based on 30 openings.
- 13
Boston MA
$139k
- Median posted pay
- $150k
- Local prices vs US average
- +8%
- Openings with pay posted
- 59
Hiring most here: Vertex Pharmaceuticals, State Street, Confidential
Based on 59 openings.
- 14
New York NY
$133k
- Median posted pay
- $150k
- Local prices vs US average
- +13%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: Amazon, Publicis Groupe, Morgan Stanley
Based on 25 openings.
- 15
Chicago IL
$126k
- Median posted pay
- $130k
- Local prices vs US average
- +4%
- Openings with pay posted
- 80
Hiring most here: Publicis Groupe, Northern Trust, Confidential
Based on 80 openings.
- 16
Louisville KY
$122k
- Median posted pay
- $110k
- State prices vs US average
- −10%
- Openings with pay posted
- 49
Hiring most here: BrightSpring Health Services, Norton Healthcare, GE Appliances
Based on 49 openings.
- 17
San Diego CA
$120k
- Median posted pay
- $134k
- Local prices vs US average
- +12%
- Openings with pay posted
- 30
Hiring most here: Qualcomm Inc/De, Qualcomm Technologies, General Atomics
Based on 30 openings.
- 18
Dallas TX
$116k
- Median posted pay
- $120k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 42
Hiring most here: Amazon, Shield AI, Texas Instruments
Based on 42 openings.
- 19
Philadelphia PA
$113k
- Median posted pay
- $116k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 36
Hiring most here: Confidential, GSK, Children's Hospital of Philadelphia
Based on 36 openings.
- 20
Denver CO
$112k
- Median posted pay
- $119k
- Local prices vs US average
- +6%
- Openings with pay posted
- 25
Hiring most here: True Anomaly, Blue Origin, Amazon
Based on 25 openings.
- 21
Houston TX
$108k
- Median posted pay
- $107k
- Local prices vs US average
- −1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 26
Hiring most here: Axiom Space, Trinzic, Fervo Energy
Based on 26 openings.
- 22
Atlanta GA
$106k
- Median posted pay
- $106k
- Local prices vs US average
- +0%
- Openings with pay posted
- 27
Hiring most here: Emory University, Oxford College of Emory University, Capgemini Invent
Based on 27 openings.
- 23
Phoenix AZ
$98k
- Median posted pay
- $101k
- Local prices vs US average
- +3%
- Openings with pay posted
- 31
Hiring most here: Honeywell Aerospace, State of Arizona, American Society for Microbiology
Based on 31 openings.
- 24
Tampa FL
$94k
- Median posted pay
- $95k
- Local prices vs US average
- +1%
- Openings with pay posted
- 21
Hiring most here: DTCC, University of South Florida, Tampa Electric
Based on 21 openings.
Full ranking
All 24 cities that qualified, with the figure each is ranked on.
| Rank | City | Score | Sample |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cambridge MA | $180k | 21 |
| 2 | Mountain View CA | $178k | 60 |
| 3 | San Francisco CA | $173k | 344 |
| 4 | Eden Prairie MN | $155k | 41 |
| 5 | Salt Lake City UT | $146k | 32 |
| 6 | New York NY | $144k | 572 |
| 7 | Austin TX | $143k | 32 |
| 8 | Charlotte NC | $143k | 79 |
| 9 | Brooklyn NY | $142k | 20 |
| 10 | Washington DC | $142k | 68 |
| 11 | Los Angeles CA | $141k | 105 |
| 12 | Seattle WA | $140k | 30 |
| 13 | Boston MA | $139k | 59 |
| 14 | New York NY | $133k | 25 |
| 15 | Chicago IL | $126k | 80 |
| 16 | Louisville KY | $122k | 49 |
| 17 | San Diego CA | $120k | 30 |
| 18 | Dallas TX | $116k | 42 |
| 19 | Philadelphia PA | $113k | 36 |
| 20 | Denver CO | $112k | 25 |
| 21 | Houston TX | $108k | 26 |
| 22 | Atlanta GA | $106k | 27 |
| 23 | Phoenix AZ | $98k | 31 |
| 24 | Tampa FL | $94k | 21 |
How this ranking works
The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for roles at employers in this industry in a city, divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100.
Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 20 listings in the industry that post a salary are ranked.
A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
Sample bar: cities with fewer than 30 openings are not ranked.
Sources: NextChapter job data: posted annual salary ranges; Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities 2024 (metro areas and states). Data as of November 2026.
Our job data covers professional roles on the career sites of employers we track, so figures describe that market, not every job. Spot an error? Tell us.
Questions
- Which city ranks first: best cities for healthcare pay after cost of living?
- Cambridge leads the United States for pay after the cost of living in this industry: its median posted salary buys what $180k buys at average US prices.
- How many cities are ranked?
- 24 cities have at least 30 openings with pay posted, so the list has 24 entries.
- How is the ranking calculated?
- The score is the median posted annual salary (the midpoint of each posted range) for roles at employers in this industry in a city, divided by its local price level, with the United States at 100. Price levels are the Bureau of Economic Analysis regional price parities for the city's metro area, or its state where no metro figure exists. Only cities with at least 20 listings in the industry that post a salary are ranked. A city where one employer posts more than 50% of its openings is not ranked, so a single company cannot decide a city's score.
- How often is it updated?
- Every month. This is the November 2026 edition. Older editions stay on this site at their own dated addresses.
More rankings
Cite this ranking
NextChapter, “Best cities for healthcare pay after cost of living,” November 2026 edition. https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-healthcare-pay-vs-cost-of-living
Link to it: <a href="https://launchyournextchapter.com/rankings/best-cities-for-healthcare-pay-vs-cost-of-living">Best cities for healthcare pay after cost of living (NextChapter, November 2026)</a>
Download the data: CSV · JSON. Free to use with a link back.
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