# How much money would House make? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 4, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143 "2010-08-04T14:05:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 12\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Annie-Xmas](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/ecc23a/32.png) [@Annie-Xmas](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Annie-Xmas)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/1 "2010-08-04T14:05:10Z")
On one hand, he lives very small–He originally had a two room apartment, he doesn’t care about clothes, he mooches off of friends and he gets free drugs. But he does seem to spend a lot on cigars, gambling and hookers. Any idea what House’s salary would be? ---
**Author:** ![Zsofia](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/7bcc69/32.png) [@Zsofia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zsofia)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 2:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/2 "2010-08-04T14:09:14Z")
Well, he can’t get a job anywhere else, recall. He’s probably a steal. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 2:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/3 "2010-08-04T14:16:54Z")
I want to say around $150k a year. I base this on absolutely nothing. ---
**Author:** ![USCDiver](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/uscdiver/32/354_2.png) [@USCDiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/USCDiver)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 3:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/4 "2010-08-04T15:07:05Z")
Well, wikipedia isn’t very descriptive about what his actual medical specialty is. It says he’s “a diagnostician with specializations in infectious diseases and nephrology”. I assume he is trained in Internal Medicine, but no mention of a fellowship in either Infectious Disease or Nephrology. So for a hospital based internal medicine doctor in a teaching facility, $150k/year is probably pretty close. ---
**Author:** ![VarlosZ](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/d78d45/32.png) [@VarlosZ](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VarlosZ)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/5 "2010-08-04T16:22:14Z")
In one episode Cuddy explicitly references to House the fact that she was able to get someone of his ability and reputation for a bargain price because no one wants to work with him. So, yeah, I would assume between $100K and $200K, trending more towards the low end. ---
**Author:** ![Ellen\_Cherry](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ellen_cherry/32/3600_2.png) [@Ellen\_Cherry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ellen_Cherry)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 4:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/6 "2010-08-04T16:38:49Z")
Moving from IMHO to Cafe Society. ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [August 4, 2010, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/7 "2010-08-04T17:05:23Z")
He’d be collecting unemployment if he was lucky, otherwise he’d have been fired for cause a long time ago. After all the lawsuits he’d be lucky to have a roof over his head. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Superhal](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b4bc9f/32.png) [@Superhal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Superhal)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/8 "2010-08-05T00:58:53Z")
He’s a director of his own department a similar level as Wilson, so I would say a shade closer to 200k/year. But, he’s virtually unhireable by any other hospital, and Cuddy has shown she’ll take advantage of that situation. I think he probably (given his lifestyle, home, etc.) probably earns closer to 50k/year. ---
**Author:** ![salinqmind](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3ec8ea/32.png) [@salinqmind](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/salinqmind)\ **Post date:** [August 5, 2010, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/9 "2010-08-05T20:33:09Z")
> [@Superhal](#): > > He’s a director of his own department a similar level as Wilson, so I would say a shade closer to 200k/year. But, he’s virtually unhireable by any other hospital, and Cuddy has shown she’ll take advantage of that situation. I think he probably (given his lifestyle, home, etc.) probably earns closer to 50k/year. 50k/year? Don’t you mean 150? (Hell, our house and cars are paid for, we make more than 50 a year, and we’re still struggling-middle-class not even near a big city!) ---
**Author:** ![iamthewalrus\_3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/258eb7/32.png) [@iamthewalrus\_3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/iamthewalrus_3)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/10 "2010-08-06T16:39:11Z")
From the hospital, probably not much. But it’s pretty clear that he has “extracurriculars” that make him plenty of money. Receiving gifts from the mob, blackmailing other doctors, etc. It’s mentioned that he gambles. Is there any doubt he could take money off of just about anybody if he wanted to? Imagine trying to bluff him at poker. If he loses money it’s because he doesn’t care. ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [August 6, 2010, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/11 "2010-08-06T17:37:37Z")
Depends… how much is the jerk tax? ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2010, 3:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/how-much-money-would-house-make/549143/12 "2010-08-08T15:48:22Z")
Since it’s a teaching hospital in New Jersey you’d have to factor in location to salary as well.