

Albuquerque vs Phoenix
$193/mo more in Phoenix
AlbuquerquePhoenixAbout 347 miles apart, close enough to drive.
- Phoenix leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 299 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,549/mo in Phoenix. $2,356/mo in Albuquerque. +$2,316 a year.
Albuquerque
$2,356
left each month
Phoenix
$2,549
+$193 vs Albuquerque
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
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In 2022-2023, 876 households moved Albuquerque → Phoenix (avg AGI $77,635). 628 went the other way. The whole move →
+$193 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Albuquerque | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,000 | $7,544 | +$544 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,615 | $1,696 | +$81 |
| Take-home pay | $5,385 | $5,848 | +$463 |
| Rent | $1,119 | $1,277 | +$158 |
| Getting around | $547 | $586 | +$39 |
| Groceries | $376 | $396 | +$20 |
| Healthcare | $423 | $446 | +$23 |
| Utilities | $235 | $248 | +$13 |
| Everything else | $329 | $347 | +$18 |
| Left over | $2,356 | $2,549 | +$193 |
Salary to match Albuquerque
$87,000
Gross pay in Phoenix that leaves the same amount as $84,000 in Albuquerque.
Tax difference
+$960
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.1% in Albuquerque, 22.5% in Phoenix.
More about Phoenix
Albuquerque, NM in full
High desert, 278 sunny days, and housing that's still cheap.
Phoenix, AZ in full
A 2.5% flat income tax, cheap housing for a big metro, and a genuinely dangerous July.
The other way
Start in Phoenix.
Phoenix → Albuquerque →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Phoenix than Albuquerque?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Phoenix leaves about $193 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,119 in Albuquerque and $1,277 in Phoenix.
Does Phoenix have state income tax?
Phoenix is in Arizona, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Albuquerque to Phoenix?
The paycheck is taxed in Arizona. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Albuquerque and Phoenix changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.