Doctor (General Practitioner) vs Registered Nurse Salary (2026)

Side-by-side salary comparison for doctor (general practitioner)s and registered nurses. Doctor (General Practitioner)s earn $101,286/yr globally — 129% more than registered nurses at $44,273/yr. Below: full breakdown by experience level and country.

Last updated · Annual USD, pre-tax

Salary by experience level

LevelDoctor (General Practitioner)Registered Nurse
Junior (0–2 yrs)$70,900$30,991
Mid-level (3–5 yrs)$101,286$44,273
Senior (6+ yrs)$141,800$61,982

Junior ≈ mid × 0.7, senior ≈ mid × 1.4. "Diff" shows how much more doctor (general practitioner)s earn vs registered nurses.

Country-by-country comparison

Top 11 countries with data for both roles, sorted by combined pay (mid-level USD).

CountryDoctor (General Practitioner)Registered Nurse
United States$260,000$88,000
Canada$228,000$82,000
Australia$185,000$85,000
United Arab Emirates$130,000$50,000
Singapore$120,000$55,000
Germany$105,000$52,000
United Kingdom$98,000$46,000
Kenya$26,000$8,000
India$25,000$8,500
Nigeria$26,000$7,000
Nepal$12,000$5,500

Why the gap exists

Both roles sit in healthcare, so the gap reflects specialization rather than industry. Doctor (General Practitioner)s typically command a premium because of longer required training and credentialing.

Frequently Asked Questions

Doctor (General Practitioner)s earn more on average: $101,286/yr vs $44,273/yr for registered nurses — a 129% gap at the global mid-level.

Related pages

Salary medians derived from our global salary database. See our methodology. Canonical URL: https://salarybyrole.com/vs/doctor-vs-nurse