Olympian Ryan Lochte Is Moving to Missouri To Be Assistant Swim Coach—Here’s What He Can Afford With $30K-a-Year Salary

Disgraced Olympian Ryan Lochte is preparing to kick off a new career as an assistant college swim coach at Missouri State, a role that will reportedly earn him a very humble salary of just $30,000 a year.

A decade after competing in his final Games, the 12-time Olympic medal winner made the surprising announcement that he is embracing a "new chapter" and a "new purpose," revealing in a post on his Instagram account that he is "beyond honored and excited" to be pursuing his first college coaching role.

However, the position, which Front Office Sports reports is based on a 10-month contract, is a far cry from the lucrative sponsorship deals that Lochte, 41, once courted, offering a salary of just $34 an hour, for a total annual salary of $30,000.

The outlet states that Lochte will also be eligible for some small bonuses, including a $500 payment for each individual who qualifies for the NCAA Championship and $500 for every team that qualifies for the same event.

Still, it marks a fresh start for Lochte, whose career and personal life have been clouded by controversy ever since the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, when he was accused of falsifying a police report in which he claimed that he and several other athletes had been robbed at gunpoint in the Brazilian city.

At the time, the controversy rocked the world of professional sports and saw Lochte dropped by all of his major sponsors, including Speedo and Ralph Lauren, according to ESPN.

Then, in 2018, he faced another significant career hurdle when he was suspended by the United States Anti-Doping Agency for receiving "an intravenous infusion of permitted substances" that violated the agency's regulations about the volume of legal substances that could be administered to an athlete.

Though he vowed to continue training to compete at the 2020 Tokyo Games, Lochte failed to qualify.

His personal life was then put in the spotlight amid his January 2026 split from his wife, Kayla Lochte, who announced the news of their divorce on Instagram—while accusing Lochte of "abusing illegal controlled substances."

Those divorce proceedings are still ongoing, and Lochte has since moved on with girlfriend Molly Gillihan, revealing in January that the two had moved in together, just weeks after he sold three of his six Olympic gold medals at auction for $350,000.

While the duo are understood to currently be living in Lochte's home state of Florida, it's unclear whether they have purchased a house together or are simply renting. Property records show that the only dwelling currently registered to the athlete in the Sunshine State is the house he shared with his ex, Kayla, and their three children.

Lochte has also not yet revealed whether he plans to permanently relocate to Springfield, MO, where Missouri State's campus is located. However, should he wish to try to purchase a home on his new salary alone, he may well find himself short of options.

While the athlete has continued to earn additional money through various social media sponsorships, including a recent collaboration with travel company Cruise Hub, if he is to rely on his new assistant swim coach pay to purchase a home, his maximum budget would be around $157,000, according to the Realtor.com® affordability calculator.

The calculator estimates a person's buying power in their chosen market using the 28/36 rule, which suggests that your total housing costs should not be more than 28% of your gross monthly income, while your debt payment should be no more than 36% of that same number.

Of course, there are several unknown factors involved in this calculation, including any monthly debt that Lochte may currently be paying and the amount that he can put toward the purchase of a home.

While it's not known how much Lochte currently has in savings, the median down payment in the U.S. as of the third quarter of 2025 was $30,400.

Should the Olympian put this amount toward a dwelling in Springfield, the affordability calculator estimates that homes priced at up to $139,800 would be considered "affordable" for him, while anything up to $157,500 would be a "stretch."

Properties priced at up to $179,200 are considered "likely beyond" his budget, but not necessarily impossible to achieve.

Springfield's median sale price as of April 2026 was well above this figure, sitting at $230,300, while the median listing price in the metro is currently even higher ($284,900).

However, some properties fall within Lochte's imagined budget—including a petite two-bedroom, one-bathroom dwelling that is described as being "ideally situated in the vibrant heart of Springfield, just minutes from downtown." That property is currently on the market for just $89,900 and, as a bonus, boasts proximity to the Missouri State campus.

Another, pricier option can be found in the form of a three-bedroom, two-bathroom dwelling that is listed for $150,000 and offers just over 1,500 square feet of living space. The "nice little fixer" has been recently renovated, although work on the dwelling is not yet complete.

Should he wish to stretch his earnings even further, he could consider a five-bedroom, two-bathroom abode that is listed for $159,900 and is touted as a "charming Victorian," complete with a formal dining room and an upper level with a private entrance.

It's unclear when Lochte will start his new role; however, the team's 2025–26 season kicked off in October last year, while Missouri State's fall semester will begin in August.