Registered Nurse Salary in San Antonio, TX

Why Registered Nurse pay in San Antonio sits 25% below the United States average

San Antonio, TX posts a registered nurse median of $81,300, which is 25% under the United States average. The useful question is whether lower prices (COL index 100) and a modeled 1-bedroom near $1,650/month close that gap in real life.

Registered nurses provide and coordinate patient care across clinics, hospitals, and community settings. Nursing pay in San Antonio, TX moves with setting (hospital vs clinic), shift differentials, and overtime — the $81,300 median is a full-time base-ish figure, not a 1.0 FTE guarantee without extras. Specialty units are how nurses reach $81,300 without leaving the metro. Employers screening registered nurses in San Antonio, TX still list Patient care, Clinical assessment, EMR, and Empathy as core. The local band runs from about $57,500 at the 10th percentile to $115,000 at the 90th.

The percentiles on this page are observed metro figures for Registered Nurse in San Antonio, TX, not a national median multiplied by a pay index. That matters: you are looking at how this labour market actually priced the role, including local industry mix. They are still estimates of the market — not a promise of what one employer will offer.

Among the 9 United States metros we can compare for this role, San Antonio ranks 9 by median. Los Angeles leads this comparison at $136,000 (+67% vs San Antonio), while Houston sits at $99,800. Use those gaps to test a relocation thesis: a 15% cash raise that lands in a much more expensive metro can disappear in rent.

San Antonio’s COL index (100) sits nearer the global baseline, so headline and adjusted pay are not far apart ($81,300 vs $81,300). Rent still matters: the 1-bedroom model is $1,650 / month, about 27% of take-home, with leftover near $2,520.

If you are comparing a San Antonio office offer with a location-flexible one, the United States national median for this role is about $109,000. Local pay is 25% lower — a $27,700 gap. Remote employers often anchor to the national figure; on-site employers in San Antonio are anchoring to this page.

World Bank consumer-price inflation for United States was about 2.9% in 2024; an illustrative model tied to inflation and the occupation’s outlook suggests pay has risen about 15% over the last few years. H-1B / employment-based green card is the usual skilled-hire route (selective for typical hires): Most skilled foreign hires enter via employer-sponsored H-1B (lottery-capped) or specialty routes; permanent residence usually follows an employment-based petition. At 0.9× United States GDP per capita, this median is below national GDP per capita — unusual for a professional median, and a reminder to check hours and setting. Unemployment was about 4.2% in 2025. None of that is tax, immigration, or career advice — run the calculators and confirm rules officially.