Physician Salaries by City

The chart above, showing the median doctor's salary in various cities, lists a six figure number for each location. This isn't really surprising - for doctors, salary scales tend to be high. But, if we look closely, we can see that there is a significant difference between the median physician salary in Philadelphia, which is at the lower end of the doctor salary scale, and Atlanta at the higher end. Currently, Atlanta, Boston and Los Angeles are at the top of the list when comparing doctors' salary scales by city. Similar results are found when measuring a Doctor's Salary Scale by State; California and Texas both offer high physician salaries, but the state that currently has the highest median physician salary is actually Florida. Comparing physician salaries by location only provides part of the picture - employment setting, years of experience, type of practice and many other factors will influence a doctor's salary scale. And it's clear that physician salaries will be relatively high regardless of location. However, choosing where to live and work is one of the biggest decisions any professional will make, and there's clearly a big difference between median physician salaries in Ohio and salaries in California.

For a broader perspective on regional salary differences, use PayScale's cost of living calculator to compare the cost of living in different U.S. cities. Atlanta and Los Angeles have two of the highest median physician salaries, but how do they compare when it comes to cost of living? A quick comparison of Doctors' Salary Scales and the Cost of Living in each city reveals that the cost of housing alone is 64 percent lower in Atlanta. That's definitely something to keep in mind, especially for doctors who are just starting their careers. View the median Doctor's Salary Scale by Years Experience to see what doctors can expect to earn during their first few years on the job.