Registered nurse · Santa Cruz, CA

Registered nurse in Santa Cruz: $4,943/mo left

BLS OEWS May 2025 puts the median registered nurse wage in Santa Cruz at $170,960 a year. About 1,750 registered nurse jobs are in the metro. The job is a smaller share of local employment than nationwide (location quotient 0.82). The 10th percentile is $97,980 and the 90th is $210,870. Pay ranks 6th-highest of 374 metros with a published median for this job. Pay is 5.4× a year of one-bedroom rent ($2,638/mo). California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule. At this pay, one adult in a one-bedroom keeps $4,943 a month after tax and rent. The best nearby metro for this job is Vallejo, about 87 miles away, at $7,291 left over a month.

Source: BLS OEWS May 2025.

Left over each month

$4,943

1 adult, 1 bd

Pay

$170,960

$97,980 to $210,870

Rent (1 bd)

$2,638

$3,141 (2 bd)

Employment

1,750

Location quotient 0.82

Pay rank

6th of 374

Metros with a published median

Pay vs rent

5.4×

Annual pay ÷ a year of 1 bd rent

Where the money goes

1 adult, 1 bd, registered nurse pay of $170,960.

Taxes$4,607
Rent$2,638
Other living costs$2,059
Left over$4,943

Pay and tax, per year

Gross household pay: $170,960
Federal income tax: −$30,277
Social Security and Medicare: −$13,078
State income tax (CA): −$11,926
Take-home pay: $115,678
Effective tax rate: 32.3%

Living costs, per month

Rent, 1br: $2,638
Groceries: $433
Getting around: $489
Healthcare: $487
Utilities and internet: $271
Everything else: $379
Total spending: $4,697

Left over each month

$14,247 gross, minus $4,607 in tax and $4,697 in living costs.

$4,943

Rank every metro for a registered nurse

Same job. Local pay. After tax and rent. Best nearby: Vallejo, $7,291/mo.

Registered nurse leftover by city →Best cities for nurses to move to →

Registered nurse nearby

Questions

What does a registered nurse make in Santa Cruz?

$170,960 a year. That figure is the BLS OEWS May 2025 median for the metro. About 1,750 registered nurse jobs are in the metro.

What is left after tax and rent for a registered nurse in Santa Cruz?

$4,943 a month for one adult in a one-bedroom. California taxes wage income on a bracket schedule Rent is $2,638, and pay covers 5.4× a year of it.

Where nearby would a registered nurse keep more?

Vallejo, about 87 miles away, leaves $7,291 a month, more than Santa Cruz.