Travel nursing in California
Stipend ceilings by area, compact license status, and every hospital guide in the state. Real numbers, with sources.
Housing stipend ceiling
$791–$1,981/wk
License
Not a compact state
Hospitals (CMS)
337
Living guides
40
Housing stipend ceilings in California
The most an agency can pay tax-free for housing is the GSA lodging rate × 7 nights. Cheapest: $791/wk (standard rate, every county not listed below, 41 hospitals). Most expensive: Santa Monica at $1,981/wk on average.
| Area (county) | Housing /wk | Meals /wk | Hosp. |
|---|---|---|---|
Santa Monica City limits of Santa Monica | $1,981 flat all year | $644 | 2 |
San Francisco San Francisco | $1,896 $1,624–$2,275 · peaks Jan, Feb, Mar | $644 | 11 |
Napa Napa | $1,694 $1,358–$1,862 · peaks Oct, Nov, Apr, May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep | $644 | 2 |
Santa Barbara Santa Barbara | $1,572 $1,498–$1,939 · peaks Jul, Aug | $644 | 5 |
Sunnyvale / Palo Alto / San Jose Santa Clara | $1,526 flat all year | $644 | 10 |
Monterey Monterey | $1,523 $1,372–$2,051 · peaks Jul, Aug | $644 | 4 |
San Diego San Diego | $1,504 $1,456–$1,743 · peaks Jun, Jul | $602 | 19 |
South Lake Tahoe El Dorado | $1,500 $1,176–$1,834 · peaks Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar | $602 | 2 |
San Mateo / Foster City / Belmont San Mateo | $1,398 $1,358–$1,519 · peaks Oct, Nov, Sep | $602 | 6 |
Los Angeles Los Angeles / Orange / Ventura / Edwards AFB less the city of Santa Monica | $1,393 flat all year | $602 | 106 |
Yosemite National Park Mariposa | $1,370 $1,288–$1,484 · peaks Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar, Apr | $602 | 1 |
San Luis Obispo San Luis Obispo | $1,240 $1,190–$1,491 · peaks Jun, Jul | $602 | 3 |
Mill Valley / San Rafael / Novato Marin | $1,183 flat all year | $644 | 3 |
Palm Springs Riverside | $1,181 $987–$1,344 · peaks Feb, Mar, Apr | $602 | 18 |
Mammoth Lakes Mono | $1,167 $1,022–$1,456 · peaks Dec, Jan, Feb, Mar | $602 | 2 |
Truckee Nevada | $1,154 $1,036–$1,246 · peaks Dec, Jan, Feb | $602 | 2 |
Bakersfield / Ridgecrest Kern | $1,148 flat all year | $518 | 9 |
Santa Rosa Sonoma | $1,141 flat all year | $602 | 6 |
Santa Cruz Santa Cruz | $1,099 $1,043–$1,267 · peaks Jun, Jul, Aug | $602 | 2 |
Sacramento Sacramento | $1,092 flat all year | $602 | 10 |
Death Valley Inyo / NAWS China Lake | $1,078 flat all year | $560 | 1 |
Oakland Alameda | $1,064 flat all year | $644 | 12 |
West Sacramento / Davis Yolo | $1,036 flat all year | $560 | 2 |
Antioch / Brentwood / Concord Contra Costa | $1,029 flat all year | $602 | 7 |
Eureka / Arcata / McKinleyville Humboldt | $999 $910–$1,267 · peaks Jun, Jul, Aug | $602 | 4 |
Oakhurst Madera | $959 flat all year | $560 | 4 |
Stockton San Joaquin | $959 flat all year | $518 | 8 |
Visalia Tulare | $952 flat all year | $560 | 5 |
Fresno Fresno | $952 flat all year | $602 | 5 |
Point Arena / Gualala Mendocino | $938 flat all year | $602 | 3 |
Tahoe City Placer | $924 flat all year | $602 | 3 |
Barstow / Ontario / Victorville San Bernardino | $903 flat all year | $602 | 19 |
Everywhere else Standard CONUS rate | $791 | $476 | 41 |
Got an offer? Decode it against the ceiling for your work ZIP and dates →
California nursing license
California: not a compact state. No pending NLC legislation. A multistate license from another state doesn't cover California; you need a California license by endorsement before you start.
Typical endorsement steps
- Apply for licensure by endorsement on the California board of nursing's site.
- Verify your current license through Nursys (or your original board if it doesn't use Nursys).
- Complete the criminal background check and fingerprints if the board requires them.
- Ask whether a temporary license is available while the full application processes, and how long processing takes now.
Requirements and timelines vary. California board contact details (NCSBN) →
Where can your license take you?
Source: NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map, checked 2026-10-11. Covers RN/LPN compact licensure for the 50 states and DC. Confirm with the state board before you accept an assignment.
Charting systems in California
Certified EHR reported to CMS by 286 of 337 hospitals (51 not reported, including VA hospitals). Know the system before day one.
- Epic129 · 45%
- Oracle Health89 · 31%
- MEDITECH29 · 10%
- TruBridge20 · 7%
- Altera14 · 5%
- MEDHOST2 · 1%
- VistA1 · 0%
- Azalea1 · 0%
- athenaOne1 · 0%
Top travel-nurse markets in California
- San Diego, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- California Hospital Medical Center La · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,393/wk
- Cedars-Sinai Medical Center · Epic$1,393/wk
- Children'S Hosp Of Los Angeles$1,393/wk
- East Los Angeles Doctors Hospital · Altera Paragon$1,393/wk
- Hollywood Presbyterian Medical Center · Altera Paragon$1,393/wk
- Los Angeles Community Hospital$1,393/wk
- Los Angeles General Medical Center · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,393/wk
- Martin Luther King, Jr. Community Hospital · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,393/wk
- Ronald Reagan Ucla Medical Center · Epic$1,393/wk
- San Francisco, CA
- California Pacific Medical Center - Mission Bernal · Epic$1,896/wk
- California Pacific Medical Center- Van Ness Campus · Epic$1,896/wk
- Chinese Hospital · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,896/wk
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - San Francisco · Epic$1,896/wk
- Ucsf Health Saint Francis Hospital · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,896/wk
- Ucsf Health St. Mary'S Hospital · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,896/wk
- Ucsf Medical Center · Epic$1,896/wk
- Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hosp & Trauma Ctr · Epic$1,896/wk
- Oakland, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- Kaiser Foundation Hosp So Sacramento · Epic$1,092/wk
- Kaiser Foundation Hospital - Sacramento · Epic$1,092/wk
- Mercy General Hospital · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,092/wk
- Methodist Hospital Of Sacramento · Oracle Health (Cerner)$1,092/wk
- Sutter Medical Center, Sacramento · Epic$1,092/wk
- University Of California Davis Medical Center · Epic$1,092/wk
- Santa Monica, CA
- Long Beach, CA
- Santa Cruz, CA
- Palm Springs, CA
- Encinitas, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
Questions
- What is the maximum tax-free housing stipend in California?
- Under GSA FY2027 rates it ranges from $791/week (the standard rate for counties not listed) to $1,981/week in Santa Monica at peak season. The meals and incidentals ceiling is $476/week or more depending on the area.
- Is California a compact nursing license state?
- Not a compact state (No pending NLC legislation), per the NCSBN Nurse Licensure Compact map checked 2026-10-11.
- How many hospitals are in California?
- CMS lists 337 acute care, critical access, children's and VA/DoD hospitals in California. TravelNurseMap has living guides for 40 of them in the top travel-nurse markets.
- What EHR do hospitals in California use?
- Of the 286 California hospitals that reported a certified EHR to CMS for 2023–2024, 45% use Epic, 31% use Oracle Health, 10% use MEDITECH. Each hospital guide shows its own system.