Compare Travel Nurse Contracts
Rank 2–3 offers on real take-home and cost-of-living-adjusted value.
Most take-home: Offer B
$3,081
/wk net- Offer A
- $2,160
- Offer B
- $3,081
- Offer C
- $2,282
/wk · TX · $2,347 adj.
/wk · CA · $2,232 adj.
/wk · FL · $2,237 adj.
Offer B pays the most cash — $799/wk more than Offer C — but after cost of living, Offer A stretches further ($2,347/wk of purchasing power).
| Metric | Offer ATexas | Offer BCalifornia | Offer CFlorida |
|---|---|---|---|
| Weekly gross (package) | $2,284 | $3,296 | $2,392 |
| Tax-free stipend share | 62.2% | 64.3% | 66.9% |
| Effective tax on package | 5.4% | 6.5% | 4.6% |
| True weekly take-home | $2,160 | $3,081★ | $2,282 |
| Contract take-home | $28,075 | $40,048 | $29,663 |
| Cost-of-living index (US=100) | 92 | 138 | 102 |
| Adj. take-home (purchasing power) | $2,347★ | $2,232 | $2,237 |
Heads up: Offer B pays the most cash, but once you adjust for the cost of living, Offer A actually stretches further. The highest weekly rate and the best real value aren't always the same contract.
Your offers
$24.00
$1,100
$320
3
12
13 wks
$28.00
$1,700
$420
3
12
13 wks
$22.00
$1,250
$350
3
12
13 wks
Educational estimate, not tax advice. Each offer is modeled as a single filer taking the standard deduction, taxed in the assignment state, with stipends treated as tax-free when you mark them so. Cost-of-living indices are state averages (US = 100) — your specific metro and housing choice will move the real number. Confirm with a travel-tax professional before signing.
Next steps
The Compare Travel Nurse Contracts tool puts two or three offers side by side and ranks them on the only numbers that matter: your true weekly take-home after federal income tax, Social Security and Medicare (FICA), and the assignment state's income tax — and that take-home adjusted for each city's cost of living. Recruiters quote a blended weekly 'gross' that bundles a low taxable base rate with tax-free housing and M&IE stipends, hides the assignment state's tax, and ignores what rent costs where you'll actually live. Two offers with identical gross can leave hundreds of dollars a week apart once you account for all of it. This calculator does the apples-to-apples comparison for you, flags the offer with the most raw take-home, and separately flags the one with the best cost-of-living-adjusted value — because they're often not the same contract.
How this calculator works
- Enter each offer in its own column: a label (agency or city), the assignment state, the taxable base hourly rate, and the weekly housing and M&IE stipends.
- Set the schedule (shifts per week and hours per shift) and the contract length in weeks for each offer.
- Mark whether the stipends are tax-free for you (you keep a qualifying tax home). If not, toggle it off and they're taxed as wages — which can flip the ranking.
- Read the comparison table: weekly gross, tax-free stipend share, effective tax rate, true weekly take-home, full-contract take-home, the cost-of-living index, and cost-of-living-adjusted take-home.
- Check the two winner cards — 'Most take-home' and 'Best value' — to see whether the highest-paying offer is also the one your money goes furthest on.
net_weekly = taxable_wages − fed − FICA − state + tax_free_stipends value = net_weekly ÷ (COL_index ÷ 100)Each offer is run through the full travel-nurse pay engine to get true weekly take-home, then divided by the assignment state's cost-of-living index (US average = 100) to express it as purchasing power. Ranking on net_weekly answers 'which pays the most cash'; ranking on value answers 'which goes furthest where I'll live.' The gap between the two rankings is the insight recruiters never surface.
- taxable_wages
- Weekly hourly pay (base rate × hours)
- tax_free_stipends
- Housing + M&IE stipends, added back tax-free when you qualify
- fed / FICA / state
- Federal, payroll, and assignment-state tax on the taxable wages
- COL_index
- State cost-of-living index, US average = 100
Frequently asked questions
How do I compare two travel nurse contracts?
Don't compare the headline weekly 'gross' — it bundles a low taxable base rate with tax-free stipends and ignores state income tax and local cost of living. Compare the true weekly take-home after federal, FICA, and the assignment state's tax, then adjust for housing and cost of living in each city. This tool does both: it shows net pay per week and per contract for each offer, and a cost-of-living-adjusted figure so a $2,400/wk offer in an expensive metro can be compared fairly with a $2,100/wk offer in a cheap one.
Why does a higher-paying contract sometimes net less?
Two reasons. First, state income tax: the same wages taxed in California or New York leave less than in Texas or Florida. Second, the taxable/tax-free split: a contract with a higher taxable base rate and smaller stipends is taxed more heavily than one with a low base and large (qualifying) stipends, even at the same gross. And once you factor in rent — a $200/wk-higher contract in a city where housing costs $400/wk more leaves you behind. The comparison ranks offers on what's left after all of that.
What is a cost-of-living-adjusted comparison?
It divides each offer's take-home by the assignment state's cost-of-living index (US average = 100), so you're comparing purchasing power, not just dollars. A contract netting $2,000/wk in a state with a cost index of 90 stretches further than $2,150/wk in a state at 140. The tool flags both the highest raw take-home and the best cost-of-living-adjusted value, which are often different contracts.
Should I always take the contract with the most take-home?
Not necessarily. Take-home is the biggest factor, but weigh it against cost of living, the quality and safety of the unit, shift type and ratios, guaranteed hours, cancellation and float policies, travel and licensing costs, and whether the stipend is within GSA limits (run it through the Stipend Analysis tool). This calculator settles the money question objectively so you can spend your judgment on everything else.
Sources used in this calculator
- GSA — Per diem ratesLodging and meals ceilings for tax-free stipends(opens in a new tab)
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wages — Registered NursesStaff RN wages by state(opens in a new tab)
- IRS — Tax inflation adjustments for tax year 2026 (Rev. Proc. 2025-32)Federal brackets and standard deduction(opens in a new tab)
- Tax Foundation — State individual income tax rates, 2026State income tax brackets (California: FTB 2025 schedule, standard deduction and exemption credit — the latest published)(opens in a new tab)
Reviewed by the Money Scale editorial team. How we source our data
Related calculators
See all- Travel Nurse PayReal take-home from a blended package — overtime, stipends, tax, by state.
- Compare StatesSame package, all 50 states — ranked by take-home and real value.
- Stipend AnalysisCheck stipends vs GSA limits and score your tax-home eligibility.
- Salary to HourlySalary → hourly with honest PTO accounting.
- Tax Return EstimatorEstimate your federal + state refund or balance due (estimator only).
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