Salary comparison · 2026
Registered Nurse salary by country
The pay gap between the highest and lowest market for the same registered nurse role is 2.6x. Employer location is the single biggest salary lever in this career.
A registered nurse earns the most in Switzerland, with a 2026 median of $96,000 per year, and the least of these 12 markets in Spain at $37,000. Full comparison below, entry level to senior.
| Country | Entry | Median | Senior | Local median | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🇨🇭 Switzerland | $68k | $96k | $140k | CHF 84k | Details → |
| 🇺🇸 United States | $66k | $94k | $135k | $94k | Details → |
| 🇦🇪 United Arab Emirates | $56k | $80k | $115k | AED 295k | Details → |
| 🇦🇺 Australia | $53k | $75k | $110k | A$115k | Details → |
| 🇸🇬 Singapore | $53k | $75k | $110k | S$100k | Details → |
| 🇨🇦 Canada | $50k | $71k | $100k | C$97k | Details → |
| 🇩🇪 Germany | $41k | $58k | $84k | €53k | Details → |
| 🇮🇪 Ireland | $40k | $57k | $82k | €52k | Details → |
| 🇳🇱 Netherlands | $39k | $56k | $81k | €52k | Details → |
| 🇫🇷 France | $35k | $49k | $71k | €45k | Details → |
| 🇬🇧 United Kingdom | $34k | $48k | $69k | £38k | Details → |
| 🇪🇸 Spain | $26k | $37k | $54k | €34k | Details → |
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How to become a registered nurse
What registered nurses really earn in the US, UK and EU, why the pay gap between countries is huge, and the realistic route in through a BSN or ADN.
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Gross annual estimates from the Paygrade research dataset, updated 7 July 2026. Method explained on the methodology page.