Travel Nurse Pay Index · FY2026 · rents as of 2026-07
Where your stipend beats the rent — by thousands.
Your tax-free lodging stipend is set by GSA rates. Your rent is set by the market. The gap between them is money you keep — and it swings by thousands per 13-week contract depending on where you go.
$20,145
top 13-week housing surplus · Key West, FL
262
destinations with real GSA-vs-rent data, updated monthly
8
states with no income tax on your taxable wages
Top 10 destinations by 13-week housing surplus
| # | Destination | Lodging allowance /mo | Median asking rent | 13-week surplus |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Key West, FL | $10,100 | $3,385 | $20,145 |
| 2 | Park City, UT | $9,373 | $3,328 | $18,135 |
| 3 | Boston / Cambridge, MA | $9,105 | $3,212 | $17,679 |
| 4 | New York City, NY | $8,396 | $2,814 | $16,746 |
| 5 | Bar Harbor / Rockport, ME | $7,108 | $1,688 | $16,260 |
| 6 | Nashville, TN | $7,225 | $1,943 | $15,846 |
| 7 | Charleston, SC | $7,554 | $2,360 | $15,582 |
| 8 | Big Sky / West Yellowstone/Gardiner, MT | $7,387 | $2,228 | $15,477 |
| 9 | Sun Valley / Ketchum, ID | $7,349 | $2,412 | $14,811 |
| 10 | Montpelier, VT | $6,293 | $1,420 | $14,619 |
Eyeing one of these? The first complete resume a recruiter gets wins the submission.
Build mine nowEvery state, ranked
Average 13-week housing surplus across each state's GSA destinations. Tax posture shown — the surplus is before wages and taxes, so a no-income-tax state stretches further than the same surplus elsewhere.
1Wyoming
No state income tax · best: Jackson / Pinedale
2Idaho
Flat 5.3% income tax · best: Sun Valley / Ketchum
3Vermont
Graduated income tax up to 8.75% · best: Montpelier
4Maine
Graduated income tax up to 7.15% · best: Bar Harbor / Rockport
5Montana
Graduated income tax up to 5.9% · best: Big Sky / West Yellowstone/Gardiner
6Utah
Flat 4.55% income tax · best: Park City
7South Carolina
Graduated income tax up to 6.2% · best: Charleston
8Florida
No state income tax · best: Key West
9Rhode Island
Graduated income tax up to 5.99% · best: Jamestown / Middletown / Newport
10Georgia
Flat 5.19% income tax · best: Jekyll Island / Brunswick
11New Mexico
Graduated income tax up to 5.9% · best: Carlsbad
12Kansas
Graduated income tax up to 5.58% · best: Kansas City / Overland Park
13Louisiana
Flat 3% income tax · best: New Orleans
14Tennessee
No state income tax · best: Nashville
15Oregon
Graduated income tax up to 9.9% · best: Seaside
16Missouri
Graduated income tax up to 4.7% · best: Kansas City
17Kentucky
Flat 4% income tax · best: Kenton
18Alabama
Graduated income tax up to 5% · best: Gulf Shores
19Ohio
Graduated income tax up to 3.5% · best: Cincinnati
20Texas
No state income tax · best: Dallas
21Arizona
Flat 2.5% income tax · best: Phoenix / Scottsdale
22Wisconsin
Graduated income tax up to 7.65% · best: Milwaukee
23Washington
No state income tax · best: Seattle
24Massachusetts
Graduated income tax up to 9% · best: Boston / Cambridge
25Indiana
Flat 3% income tax · best: Lafayette / West Lafayette
26Nevada
No state income tax · best: Incline Village / Reno / Sparks
27South Dakota
No state income tax · best: Deadwood / Spearfish
28Minnesota
Graduated income tax up to 9.85% · best: Minneapolis / St. Paul
29North Carolina
Flat 4.25% income tax · best: Kill Devil Hills
30Michigan
Flat 4.25% income tax · best: Petoskey
31Iowa
Flat 3.8% income tax · best: Des Moines
32New Hampshire
No state income tax · best: Laconia
33Arkansas
Graduated income tax up to 3.9% · best: Hot Springs
34Nebraska
Graduated income tax up to 5.2% · best: Omaha
35California
Graduated income tax up to 13.3% · best: Napa
36Oklahoma
Graduated income tax up to 4.75% · best: Oklahoma City
37New York
Graduated income tax up to 10.9% · best: New York City
38West Virginia
Graduated income tax up to 4.82% · best: Charleston
39Illinois
Flat 4.95% income tax · best: Chicago
40Pennsylvania
Flat 3.07% income tax · best: Philadelphia
41Delaware
Graduated income tax up to 6.6% · best: Lewes
42Maryland
Graduated income tax up to 5.75% · best: Ocean City
43Mississippi
Flat 4.4% income tax · best: Starkville
44Connecticut
Graduated income tax up to 6.99% · best: Hartford
45New Jersey
Graduated income tax up to 10.75% · best: Toms River
46Virginia
Graduated income tax up to 5.75% · best: Charlottesville
47Colorado
Flat 4.4% income tax · best: Vail
48District of Columbia
Graduated income tax up to 10.75%
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Sources: GSA FY2026 per diem rates; Zillow Observed Rent Index (ZORI), county medians of asking rents. Surplus = monthly lodging allowance minus median asking rent, over three months. This is not take-home pay and not tax or financial advice. Full methodology · FY2027 changes