TL;DR: A government Nurse I earns ₱42,178 a month at Step 1 (Salary Grade 15) as of January 1, 2026, a rate fixed by law under Section 32 of RA 9173 and implemented via DBM Budget Circular No. 2020-4 in 2020. Private hospital and clinic pay is unregulated and ranges much lower — commonly ₱15,000-₱20,000 at entry level per salary-guide aggregators, with Jobstreet reporting a national average closer to ₱28,000. Abroad, a UK NHS Band 5 nurse earns £32,073-£39,043/year (2026/27, official NHS Employers rate), a US RN's median wage is $93,600/year (BLS, 2024), and Saudi Arabia estimates run roughly SAR 7,500-18,000/month tax-free depending on sector.
"Nursing salary in the Philippines" is one of the most searched career questions among pre-nursing students and current BSN graduates, largely because the honest answer depends heavily on whether you mean government, private, or overseas work — three very different pay scales. This guide breaks down each one using DBM circulars, the actual text of the Philippine Nursing Act, and NHS/BLS official pay data, with clear ranges wherever sources genuinely differ. For the full Salary Grade system this sits inside, see our companion guide.
How Much Does a Government Nurse Earn?
A Nurse I in any public health institution earns ₱42,178 per month at Step 1, classified at Salary Grade 15 under the Third Tranche Monthly Salary Schedule (DBM National Budget Circular No. 601, effective January 1, 2026). That's basic pay only, before PERA or any Magna Carta allowances.
This particular salary grade isn't just agency policy — it's written into law. Section 32 of Republic Act No. 9173, the Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, states: "the minimum base pay of nurses working in the public health institutions shall not be lower than salary grade 15 prescribed under Republic Act No. 6758." For years after the law passed, government Nurse I items were still classified at SG 11, well below what the law required, until the DBM formally implemented the upgrade via Budget Circular No. 2020-4 (July 17, 2020) — a change the Supreme Court subsequently upheld as valid.
Disclaimer: salary figures follow the DBM tranche schedule under EO 64, s. 2024 and can change with the next tranche. Confirm current rates with your agency's HR office or the latest DBM circular before budgeting.
Nurse Salary Grade Table (Government)
| Position | Salary Grade | Step 1 (2026) | Basis |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nurse I | SG 15 | ₱42,178 | RA 9173, Sec. 32 (mandated minimum) |
| Nurse II | SG 16 | ₱45,694 | DBM Budget Circular No. 2021-2 |
Nurse III through Nurse VII exist as higher rungs on the same ladder within DOH and LGU hospitals, each a further salary grade up, but a Nurse II upgrade already required a dedicated DBM circular to formalize — so treat any specific Nurse III-VII grade you see quoted elsewhere with caution unless it cites the same kind of official DBM issuance.
Why Nurse I Sits at SG 15 (Not SG 11)
The gap between what RA 9173 promised in 2002 and what agencies actually paid for nearly two decades is a well-documented case: nursing groups and legal challenges pushed for enforcement of the SG 15 floor for years, arguing the plain text of Section 32 left no room for agencies to classify Nurse I lower. The Supreme Court's ruling upholding the SG 15 minimum, followed by DBM Budget Circular No. 2020-4 formally implementing the upgrade in 2020, closed that gap — meaning a Nurse I entering government service today enters roughly ₱10,000/month above where the position sat before 2020's reclassification (comparing SG 15 to the old SG 11 rate under earlier schedules).
What Additional Allowances Do Public Nurses Get?
The Magna Carta of Public Health Workers (RA 7305) provides several allowances specific to health workers, on top of basic pay and standard PERA/bonuses:
- Hazard allowance — at least 25% of monthly basic salary for those in hospitals, sanitaria, rural health units, or other health establishments located in hazardous, disease-infested, or calamity-declared areas.
- Subsistence allowance — full subsistence (three meals) for health workers required to be available for service at all times, computed per prevailing DOH guidelines.
- Laundry allowance — ₱150 per month.
- Longevity pay and remote assignment allowance, both tied to years of service or hardship posting respectively.
None of these apply universally — they depend on the specific facility, posting, and whether the health worker is genuinely on-call around the clock — so a nurse in a Metro Manila tertiary hospital and one in a rural health unit in a calamity-declared province can have very different total pay even at the same salary grade.
How Much Do Private Hospital and Clinic Nurses Earn?
Private-sector nurse pay in the Philippines is not standardized by any salary grade law — each hospital, clinic, or company sets its own rate. Job-ad aggregation from Jobstreet's career-advice tool reports a typical registered nurse salary around ₱28,000/month nationally, based on full-time salary ranges employers disclose in job postings. Other salary-guide summaries describe a wider real-world spread: entry-level private hospital pay commonly falls between ₱15,000 and ₱20,000/month, while smaller private clinics or hospitals sometimes pay as little as ₱9,000-₱15,000 — figures well below the ₱42,178 a Nurse I earns in government service.
| Setting | Reported Monthly Range | Source Type |
|---|---|---|
| Government Nurse I (SG 15) | ₱42,178 (Step 1) | Official — DBM NBC 601 |
| Jobstreet-reported typical RN pay | ~₱28,000 | Job-ad aggregator |
| Private hospital, general estimate | ₱18,000-₱45,000 | Third-party salary guide |
| Private hospital/clinic, entry-level | ₱15,000-₱20,000 | Third-party salary guide |
| Smaller private clinic/hospital | ₱9,000-₱15,000 | Third-party salary guide |
Disclaimer: private-sector figures above are third-party estimates aggregated from job postings and salary-guide sites, not government statistics — actual offers vary by hospital tier, region, and specialization. Always confirm the specific offer in writing.
How Does Philippine Nurse Pay Compare Abroad?
This is the comparison most nursing graduates actually want, since working abroad remains a common career path after a few years of local experience:
| Country/System | Reported Pay | Basis |
|---|---|---|
| Philippines (government Nurse I) | ₱42,178/month | Official, DBM NBC 601 |
| Saudi Arabia | SAR 7,500-18,000/month, tax-free (govt MOH vs private/international hospitals) | Third-party healthcare recruitment estimates |
| United Kingdom (NHS Band 5, entry RN) | £32,073-£39,043/year (2026/27) | Official, NHS Employers pay scale |
| United States (RN, national median) | $93,600/year (May 2024) | Official, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics |
The UK and US figures come from official sources (NHS Employers and the BLS, respectively) and are the most reliable numbers in this table. The Saudi Arabia range is pulled together from multiple nurse-recruitment sites rather than a single Saudi government wage authority, so treat it as a working estimate rather than a fixed number — actual pay depends heavily on whether the employer is a government Ministry of Health facility (generally lower) or a private/international hospital (generally higher), plus housing, transport, and flight allowances that typically come on top of the base figure.
Disclaimer: exchange rates fluctuate, and none of the abroad figures include the visa, licensing (like NCLEX for the US), or relocation costs required to actually take one of these jobs. Treat all abroad figures as a starting-point comparison, not a guaranteed offer.
What Actually Raises a Nurse's Pay
- In government service: promotion up the Nurse I-VII ladder (each a grade increase), plus assignment to a hazard-pay-eligible posting under RA 7305.
- In private hospitals: specialization matters most — ICU, operating room, dialysis, and oncology nursing tend to command a premium over general ward assignments, based on how private hospital job postings are typically tiered.
- Working abroad: added certifications (like ACLS/BLS instructor status), years of specialty experience, and — for the US specifically — passing the NCLEX and securing a visa are the biggest levers, since US pay sits well above both local and Gulf pay once those requirements are cleared.
- Years of experience broadly: every market in this comparison pays more for tenure, but the increments differ — government pay moves in discrete salary-grade or step jumps, while private and overseas pay tends to move more continuously with negotiated raises.
Deciding Where to Start Your Nursing Career
- Government service offers a clear, legally protected floor (SG 15 for Nurse I) plus predictable bonuses — a real advantage if starting pay stability matters more than upside.
- Private hospitals can pay more or less than government, so get any offer in writing and ask specifically about night differential, on-call pay, and benefits before comparing it to the SG 15 government rate.
- Going abroad usually pays the most, but costs the most upfront — factor licensing exams, visa costs, and the time to get placed before assuming the headline number is pure upside.
- Check your target school's NLE passing rate and review your options with our NLE guide before committing to a program, since your license is the gate to every option above.
Ready to find the right school? Browse schools or compare tuition and NLE passing rates across hundreds of Philippine nursing schools on SchoolFinderPH.
Sources
- DBM National Budget Circular No. 601, s. 2026 — Third Tranche Salary Schedule (official PDF)
- Republic Act No. 9173 — Philippine Nursing Act of 2002, Sec. 32, full text, LawPhil
- GMA News — Supreme Court upholds validity of SG 15 minimum pay for gov't nurses
- DBM — Guidelines on the Upgrade of Nurse II Salary Grade (Budget Circular No. 2021-2)
- Republic Act No. 7305 — Magna Carta of Public Health Workers, IRR
- Jobstreet — Nurse Salary in the Philippines (career advice)
- NHS Employers — Pay scales for 2026/27 (official)
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — Registered Nurses, Occupational Outlook Handbook
- SchoolFinderPH — Government Salary Grade Table Explained
