Best cities for travel nurse stipends
Where does a housing stipend go furthest? We compared the FY2027 GSA lodging rate, the usual ceiling for a tax-free housing stipend, with HUD's fair market rent for a one-bedroom apartment in 3,704 US cities with hospitals. In larger cities, Brooklyn, NY leaves the most: about $6,270 a month between 30 nights at the GSA rate and a typical one-bedroom rent.
Larger cities (5 or more hospitals)
| # | City | Hospitals | GSA lodging, average night | 30 nights at that rate | HUD 1-bed rent | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brooklyn, NY | 11 | $291 | $8,730 | $2,460 | $6,270 |
| 2 | Bronx, NY | 7 | $291 | $8,730 | $2,750 | $5,980 |
| 3 | San Francisco, CA | 13 | $271 | $8,130 | $2,510 | $5,620 |
| 4 | Charleston, SC | 6 | $246 | $7,380 | $2,120 | $5,260 |
| 5 | Washington, DC | 10 | $246 | $7,380 | $2,130 | $5,250 |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | 10 | $230 | $6,900 | $1,820 | $5,080 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | 12 | $284 | $8,520 | $3,710 | $4,810 |
| 8 | New York, NY | 16 | $291 | $8,730 | $3,990 | $4,740 |
| 9 | Denver, CO | 7 | $203 | $6,090 | $1,700 | $4,390 |
| 10 | Fort Worth, TX | 13 | $192 | $5,760 | $1,410 | $4,350 |
| 11 | Albuquerque, NM | 8 | $181 | $5,430 | $1,100 | $4,330 |
| 12 | Philadelphia, PA | 21 | $194 | $5,820 | $1,510 | $4,310 |
| 13 | Boise, ID | 6 | $186 | $5,580 | $1,390 | $4,190 |
| 14 | Arlington, TX | 7 | $192 | $5,760 | $1,600 | $4,160 |
| 15 | Tucson, AZ | 10 | $168 | $5,040 | $980 | $4,060 |
| 16 | Dallas, TX | 19 | $184 | $5,520 | $1,480 | $4,040 |
| 17 | Bakersfield, CA | 6 | $164 | $4,920 | $1,020 | $3,900 |
| 18 | Atlanta, GA | 9 | $193 | $5,790 | $1,940 | $3,850 |
| 19 | New Orleans, LA | 10 | $165 | $4,950 | $1,120 | $3,830 |
| 20 | Austin, TX | 15 | $184 | $5,520 | $1,690 | $3,830 |
Smaller cities (2 to 4 hospitals)
| # | City | Hospitals | GSA lodging, average night | 30 nights at that rate | HUD 1-bed rent | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Staten Island, NY | 3 | $291 | $8,730 | $2,400 | $6,330 |
| 2 | Santa Monica, CA | 2 | $283 | $8,490 | $2,328 | $6,162 |
| 3 | Flushing, NY | 2 | $291 | $8,730 | $2,750 | $5,980 |
| 4 | Jamaica, NY | 2 | $291 | $8,730 | $2,750 | $5,980 |
| 5 | Brighton, MA | 2 | $284 | $8,520 | $2,740 | $5,780 |
| 6 | Jamaica Plain, MA | 2 | $284 | $8,520 | $2,870 | $5,650 |
| 7 | Silver Spring, MD | 2 | $246 | $7,380 | $1,940 | $5,440 |
| 8 | Falls Church, VA | 3 | $246 | $7,380 | $2,190 | $5,190 |
| 9 | Cambridge, MA | 2 | $284 | $8,520 | $3,370 | $5,150 |
| 10 | Alexandria, VA | 2 | $246 | $7,380 | $2,300 | $5,080 |
| 11 | Mount Pleasant, SC | 2 | $246 | $7,380 | $2,320 | $5,060 |
| 12 | Hines, IL | 2 | $202 | $6,060 | $1,080 | $4,980 |
| 13 | Bethesda, MD | 2 | $246 | $7,380 | $2,440 | $4,940 |
| 14 | Naples, FL | 3 | $225 | $6,750 | $1,890 | $4,860 |
| 15 | Napa, CA | 2 | $242 | $7,260 | $2,526 | $4,734 |
| 16 | Waukegan, IL | 2 | $202 | $6,060 | $1,370 | $4,690 |
| 17 | Oak Park, IL | 2 | $202 | $6,060 | $1,450 | $4,610 |
| 18 | Duluth, MN | 3 | $184 | $5,520 | $1,020 | $4,500 |
| 19 | Salinas, CA | 2 | $218 | $6,540 | $2,310 | $4,230 |
| 20 | Hoffman Estates, IL | 2 | $202 | $6,060 | $1,830 | $4,230 |
Where the stipend is tightest
In these larger cities, typical rent takes the biggest share of a GSA-rate housing stipend. Look further from downtown, consider a room in a shared home, or ask your agency about housing it arranges.
| # | City | Hospitals | GSA lodging, average night | 30 nights at that rate | HUD 1-bed rent | Left over |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Denton, TX | 7 | $113 | $3,390 | $1,690 | $1,700 |
| 2 | Frisco, TX | 5 | $133 | $3,990 | $2,170 | $1,820 |
| 3 | Plano, TX | 7 | $133 | $3,990 | $2,120 | $1,870 |
| 4 | Madison, WI | 5 | $128 | $3,840 | $1,840 | $2,000 |
| 5 | Sugar Land, TX | 6 | $133 | $3,990 | $1,980 | $2,010 |
| 6 | Fresno, CA | 5 | $136 | $4,080 | $2,010 | $2,070 |
| 7 | Oakland, CA | 5 | $152 | $4,560 | $2,470 | $2,090 |
| 8 | Jacksonville, FL | 9 | $113 | $3,390 | $1,270 | $2,120 |
| 9 | Tulsa, OK | 13 | $113 | $3,390 | $1,220 | $2,170 |
| 10 | Orlando, FL | 8 | $153 | $4,590 | $2,400 | $2,190 |
How we calculated this
- Stipend: the FY2027 GSA lodging rate for the area where most of the city's hospitals are, averaged over the 12 months for areas with seasonal rates, times 30 nights. Meals and incidentals are left out.
- Rent: HUD's FY2026 fair market rent for a one-bedroom, matched to the hospitals' ZIP codes. It is an unfurnished rent with basic utilities, so furnished monthly rentals usually cost more.
- Left over is the stipend minus that rent, before furniture, Wi-Fi, parking or a second home to keep up. Treat it as an upper bound.
- Agencies set their own stipends, often below the GSA rate. Cities with one hospital are left out to keep the lists to places with several facilities.
Use this for your next contract
Check the exact rates for your dates with the stipend calculator, compare stipend rates by state, and read how housing stipends work. Then search furnished homes near your hospital on the map.