Moving from Amarillo to Phoenix

Moving to Phoenix costs you $336 a month

−$4,032 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Amarillo leftover

$2,886

a month after tax and rent

Phoenix leftover

$2,550

−$336 vs Amarillo

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Amarillo, TX and Phoenix, AZ
Per monthAmarilloPhoenixDifference
Gross pay$7,000$7,544+$544
Income and payroll tax$1,377$1,696+$320
Take-home pay$5,623$5,848+$225
Rent$854$1,276+$422
Getting around$568$586+$18
Groceries$363$396+$33
Healthcare$408$446+$38
Utilities$227$248+$21
Everything else$317$347+$30
Left over$2,886$2,550−$336

To break even in Phoenix, you'd need to earn

$96,500

Household gross, versus $84,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Amarillo does now.

The tax difference alone

−$1,898

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 19.7% in Amarillo, 22.5% in Phoenix.

More about Phoenix

Amarillo, TX in full

No state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,017 and 260 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.

Phoenix, AZ in full

A 2.5% flat income tax, cheap housing for a big metro, and a genuinely dangerous July.

The reverse move

Same two cities, but starting from Phoenix on Phoenix wages.

PhoenixAmarillo

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Phoenix than Amarillo?

A one-bedroom is about $854 in Amarillo versus $1,276 in Phoenix. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $336 a month lower in Phoenix. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.

Does Phoenix have state income tax?

Phoenix is in Arizona, which taxes wage income.

What changes if you move from Amarillo to Phoenix?

Take-home pay is recalculated under Arizona tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.

Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.