Denver, CO → Tucson, AZ
Moving to Tucson costs you $133 a month
−$1,596 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 423 households moved Denver → Tucson (avg AGI $101,061). 423 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Denver | Tucson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,250 | $6,927 | −$1,323 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,057 | $1,498 | −$559 |
| Take-home pay | $6,193 | $5,429 | −$764 |
| Rent | $1,490 | $1,022 | −$468 |
| Getting around | $551 | $547 | −$4 |
| Groceries | $420 | $376 | −$44 |
| Healthcare | $473 | $423 | −$50 |
| Utilities | $263 | $235 | −$28 |
| Everything else | $368 | $329 | −$39 |
| Left over | $2,630 | $2,497 | −$133 |
To break even in Tucson, you'd need to earn
$85,500
Household gross, versus $99,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Denver does now.
The tax difference alone
+$2,001
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.9% in Denver, 21.6% in Tucson.
More about Tucson
Denver, CO in full
Mountains in an hour, 245 sunny days, and a flat 4.4% state tax.
Tucson, AZ in full
Phoenix weather and hiking at a serious discount, on lower wages.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Tucson on Tucson wages.
Tucson → Denver →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.