Registered nurse · San Diego, CA
Registered nurse in San Diego: $3,495/mo left
BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median registered nurse wage in San Diego at $139,520 a year. About 28,680 registered nurse jobs are in the metro. The job is about the same share of local employment as nationwide (location quotient 0.86). The 10th percentile is $102,480 and the 90th is $175,210. Pay ranks 9th-highest of 374 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.1× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,292/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $3,495 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Bakersfield, about 196 miles away, at $4,139 left over a month.
Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.
After tax and rent
$3,495
1 adult, 1 bd
Pay
$139,520
$102,480 to $175,210
Rent (1 bd)
$2,292
$2,728 (2 bd)
Employment
28,680
Location quotient 0.86
Pay rank
9th of 374
Metros with a published median
Pay vs rent
5.1×
Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent
Where the money goes
1 adult, 1 bd, registered nurse pay of $139,520.
- Taxes$3,491
- Rent$2,292
- Other$2,348
- Left$3,495
Pay and tax, per year
- Gross household pay
- $139,520
- Federal income tax
- −$22,219
- Social Security and Medicare
- −$10,673
- State income tax (CA)
- −$9,003
- Take-home pay
- $97,625
- Effective tax rate
- 30.0%
Living costs, per month
- Rent, 1br
- $2,292
- Groceries
- $468
- Getting around
- $650
- Healthcare
- $527
- Utilities and internet
- $293
- Everything else
- $410
- Total spending
- $4,640
After tax and rent
$3,495 left/mo
Rank every metro for a registered nurse
Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Bakersfield, $4,139/mo.
Registered nurse leftover by city →Best cities for nurses to move to →Registered nurse nearby
Other jobs in San Diego
- Software developer
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- Electrician
- Civil engineer
- Lawyer
- Police officer
- Financial analyst
- Pharmacist
- Product / project manager
- Physical therapist
- Nurse practitioner
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- Firefighter
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Questions
What does a registered nurse make in San Diego?
$139,520 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 28,680 registered nurse jobs are in the metro.
What is left after tax and rent for a registered nurse in San Diego?
$3,495 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,292, and pay covers 5.1× a year of it.
Where nearby would a registered nurse keep more?
Bakersfield, about 196 miles away, leaves $4,139 a month, more than San Diego.