Salaries of a certified respiratory therapist is dependent on many different factors. The bottom line is, the more training and experience you have in the field, the more money you will make but sometimes the respiratory therapist salary range depends on location. This means looking at the area that a respiratory therapist lives in. The cost of living is different every where you go. You will not make the same amount of money if you live in a rural area with one hospital and 3 doctors offices then if you lived in a big city with several hospitals and a spew of doctors offices.