10 Best Places to Work as a Travel Nurse in 2025

The travel nursing life is all about balancing high pay with great experiences. The “best” cities aren’t just the ones that pay the highest hourly rate; they are the cities where the salary goes furthest once you pay for housing, or where demand is so strong you’ll always have a job.

Here are the best cities for travel nurses this year, based on a mix of weekly earnings, high job demand, and desirable quality of life.

The Top 10 Cities for Travel Nurses (2025)

The two types of cities on this list are:

1. Highest Paying Cities: Cities like San Francisco and New York that pay the highest base rates to offset their sky-high cost of living (COL).
2. Highest Paying Cities : Cities like Dallas and Phoenix, where the pay is strong, but the lower cost of living means you save more money overall. These often offer a better financial return.

City	State	Primary Draw	Avg. Weekly Pay (Approx.)	Key Advantage
1. San Francisco	CA	Max Pay & Mandated Ratios		Highest gross pay rates in the nation.
2. New York City	NY	Demand & Specialization		Constant job openings in large, specialized hospitals.
3. Dallas	TX	High Net Pay & No Income Tax		Excellent balance of strong pay and zero state income tax.
4. Seattle	WA	Strong Pay & Quality of Life		High wages in a state with no income tax. Beautiful lifestyle.
5. Houston	TX	Medical Center Demand		Home to the world’s largest medical complex, creating massive job volume.
6. Phoenix	AZ	Year-Round Demand & COL		Consistent job openings and a lower cost of living compared to California.
7. Boston	MA	Prestige & Research		Access to world-renowned research and teaching hospitals.
8. Denver	CO	Outdoor Life & Growth		Great pay paired with an active, outdoor lifestyle.
9. Atlanta	GA	Growth & Low COL		A fast-growing Southern hub where the salary goes further.
10. San Diego	CA	Weather & Lifestyle		Excellent weather and desirable coastal living, supported by high state wages.

Why Travel Nursing Pays Off

As a travel nurse, your paycheck is split into two parts: taxable base pay (your hourly wage) and non-taxable stipends (money for housing, food, and other costs). These tax-free stipends are the main reason your weekly check looks much bigger than a regular staff nurse’s pay.

High-Gross Payer Spotlight (Highest Hourly Rates)

High-cost areas pay the most, usually because they have to, but they offer unmatched experience.

• California (San Francisco & San Diego): These hospitals pay the highest raw salaries for two reasons:
  1. High Cost of Living: Agencies must give larger stipends just to cover expensive temporary housing.
  2. Mandatory Ratios: State law limits how many patients a nurse can have. This means hospitals always need staff, keeping demand and pay very high.
• New York City, NY: NYC often offers crisis pay and high rates because its health system is huge and complex. Despite being expensive, you can get experience in top specialties like ICU or Trauma.

High-Net Saver Spotlight (Best for Savings)

These cities give you a better return on your money because the cost of living is lower or the taxes are favorable.

• Texas (Dallas & Houston): Texas is a top spot because it has no state income tax. This means you keep a much larger part of your paycheck. Since the cost of living is lower than in coastal cities, your stipends stretch much further, leading to better overall savings.
• Phoenix, AZ, and Atlanta, GA: These popular cities have a steady, high volume of assignments because their populations are growing. Phoenix offers a sunny climate and is much cheaper than California. Atlanta gives you competitive pay in a huge healthcare center, with lower rent and grocery costs than most big Northern cities.

The Licensure Advantage

Always check for the Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC). States in the NLC (like Texas and Arizona) let you work using your existing license from your home state. This dramatically speeds up the application process and lets you start a high-paying contract quickly.