Advantis salary data Updated today · 4 open Chicago jobs

Travel Nurse Salary in Chicago, IL

Median weekly · Chicago
$2,190
Pay after Chicago rent / mo
≈ $7,923/mo
$2,190/wk × 4.33 − $1,558 typical 2-BR rent. Before taxes. (HUD FMR FY2026.)
State income tax
4.95% flat
Specialties in demand

Specialties posting in Chicago

Chicago's scale means the open-specialty mix is wide on any given week, spanning the downtown academic centers and the community and safety-net systems around them. The unit sets the rate more than the employer does. Filter by specialty to see what Chicago is paying.

ICU Med Surg
Specialties with open contracts in this metro. Tap any for current openings. Rates vary by facility, shift, and start date.
What the number includes

Inside a Chicago weekly rate

In Chicago, rent sits a little above the national average, higher than downstate Illinois, so the housing stipend has to do more work than it would in Peoria. A two-bedroom near $1,743 is the figure to size a stipend against. The hourly base and the meal stipend make up the rest, but in Chicago metro rent decides how much you keep.

Hourly base, the wage portion of the rate Housing stipend, a weekly housing allowance Meals & incidentals, a daily meals allowance
The exact split varies by contract and location.
Chicago context

What a Chicago rate is worth after rent and tax

Chicago is a large national hospital market, so openings refresh as positions fill. For a traveler, the question is what the rate keeps after Illinois costs. Living costs run near the national average, an index around 104, and a two-bedroom benchmarks near $1,743, above downstate but well below the coasts, so housing is moderate for a market this size.

Two Illinois rules shape take-home. The state taxes income at a flat 4.95%, with no local income tax, so the bite is predictable. And because Illinois sits outside the Nurse Licensure Compact, a multistate license does not cover a Chicago assignment; you obtain an Illinois license by endorsement first, around $50, on a timeline that often gates the start date, so file early. The Illinois RN licensing guide details the process.

4.95% flat
State income tax
Factored into take-home; travel stipends are typically tax-free.
Single-state
Start on your license
Licensure by endorsement.
10.93 /1k
RN per 1,000 residents
Below the national 9.92, so the market is structurally under-supplied, which keeps demand high.
~27% of RNs plan to retire within 5 years
IL Nursing Workforce Center
Sustained demand keeps contracts open.
Sources: HUD FMR FY2026 (2-BR rent), BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost of living), NCSBN; IDFPR (license status), Tax Foundation; IL DOR (state tax); all Chicago, IL. General information.
Live openings

Chicago openings, updated live

In Chicago the rate worth taking is the one that still beats downstate once the city's higher rent is counted. Browse the cards below; each shows its rate and shift, with the rest a tap away.

Pediatric OR · Chicago, IL
Days · 20 wks
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Dialysis · Chicago, IL
Nights · 13 wks
 View →
ICU · Chicago, IL
Nights · 13 wks
 View →
Med Surg · Chicago, IL
Days · 13 wks
 View →
Chicago salary questions

The Chicago salary questions travelers raise

How well does a travel nurse salary in Chicago, IL hold up?
Chicago rates run wide for a metro of its scale and hold value well, since cost sits near the national average. The live median and range are in the pay range above.
Which Chicago units sit at the top of the pay range?
Chicago's academic centers concentrate the high-acuity lines that lead its range. Cardiac, ICU, ER, OR, and Labor and Delivery contracts tend to lead Chicago's range, Med Surg trails, and off-shifts pay above days. The current openings sit in the list above.
Does a Chicago rate go far after costs?
Chicago holds value for its size. Chicago's cost sits near the national average, so rent takes a moderate bite for a market this size, and a solid rate holds up once housing is paid. After rent is the number to compare against downstate.
Will Illinois accept my compact license for Chicago work?
No. Illinois is not in the compact, so plan on an Illinois license by endorsement before a Chicago assignment, about $50, with a processing wait that often sets the start date. The Illinois RN licensing guide has the steps.
How much does Illinois tax cut into Chicago pay?
Illinois taxes income at a flat 4.95% with no local add-on, so the deduction is steady and easy to predict, unlike a graduated state. For a traveling nurse it is a middle-of-the-road bite, lighter than New York's top rate but heavier than a no-tax state.
Does Chicago pay beat Peoria after costs?
Less than the headline suggests. Chicago posts higher rates, but its two-bedroom near $1,743 runs well above Peoria's $1,039, so downstate often clears more after housing. The comparison above puts the two Illinois markets side by side once rent is out.
Keep exploring

Chicago travel nursing jobs & pay

Jobs by specialty
ICU →Operating Room →
Jobs by city
Peoria →Chicago →
More resources
All Illinois RN jobs →Illinois RN license guide →
Ready when you are

Illinois travel RN contracts are paying a median of $2,260/week right now.

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