Best Cities for Internal Medicine (2026)
Salary, satisfaction, and cost-of-living comparison from 15 verified physician submissions across 7 cities.
Highest-Paying Cities
Best Value: Cost-of-Living Adjusted
Gross salary doesn't tell the full story. These cities offer the most purchasing power for internal medicine physicians after adjusting for state cost of living.
Denver, CO
$600,000
adjusted from $690,000 gross
COL above the national average (1.15x)
San Antonio, TX
$334,000
adjusted from $311,000 gross
COL below the national average (0.93x)
Columbia, SC
$331,000
adjusted from $295,000 gross
COL below the national average (0.89x)
Biggest COL winners: San Antonio (jumps from #5 to #2), Columbia (jumps from #6 to #3)
Physician Experience by City
Satisfaction, hours, and career sentiment from verified internal medicine physicians in each city.
Boston, MA
Complete City Rankings
| # | City | Avg. Salary | COL-Adj. | Satisfaction | Hrs/Wk | Reports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 🥇1 | Denver, CO | $690,000 | $600,000 | — | — | 2 |
| 🥈2 | Los Angeles, CA | $429,000 | $302,000 | — | — | 2 |
| 🥉3 | New York, NY | $405,000 | $289,000 | — | — | 2 |
| 4 | Tampa, FL | $318,000 | $308,000 | — | — | 2 |
| 5 | San Antonio, TX | $311,000 | $334,000 | — | — | 2 |
| 6 | Columbia, SC | $295,000 | $331,000 | — | — | 2 |
| 7 | Boston, MA | $262,000 | $194,000 | 2.7/5 | 49 | 3 |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the highest-paying city for internal medicine?
Denver, CO offers the highest average internal medicine salary at $690,000, based on 2 verified submissions.
Which city offers the best value after cost of living?
After adjusting for state cost of living, Denver, CO offers the most purchasing power at $600,000 adjusted salary. The cost of living in Colorado is above the national average (index: 1.15).
Where are internal medicine physicians most satisfied?
Boston, MA reports the highest satisfaction for internal medicine physicians at 2.7/5.0, with an average of 49 hours per week.
How is this data collected?
All salary data comes from verified physicians who submit their compensation anonymously on SalaryDr. Each submission is verified via NPI lookup against the CMS NPPES registry. Cities require at least 2 verified reports to appear in rankings. Cost-of-living adjustments use state-level indices; actual COL may vary significantly within a state (e.g., San Francisco vs. rural California).