Flagstaff vs Lake Havasu City leftover
You'd keep $504 more a month in Lake Havasu City
$2,044/mo leftover in Lake Havasu City vs $1,540 in Flagstaff after tax and rent ($504 more). +$6,048 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Flagstaff leftover
$1,540
a month after tax and rent
Lake Havasu City leftover
$2,044
+$504 vs Flagstaff
Compare Flagstaff to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Flagstaff.
Monthly gap
Flagstaff → Lake Havasu City
$504
more / month in Lake Havasu City
$2,044 in Lake Havasu City · $1,540 in Flagstaff · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 92 households moved Flagstaff → Lake Havasu City (avg AGI $50,315). 92 went the other way. The whole move →
+$504 / mo
| Per month | Flagstaff | Lake Havasu City | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,417 | $6,417 | $0 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,334 | $1,334 | $0 |
| Take-home pay | $5,083 | $5,083 | $0 |
| Rent | $1,643 | $1,039 | −$604 |
| Getting around | $485 | $585 | +$100 |
| Groceries | $390 | $390 | $0 |
| Healthcare | $439 | $439 | $0 |
| Utilities | $244 | $244 | $0 |
| Everything else | $342 | $342 | $0 |
| Left over | $1,540 | $2,044 | +$504 |
To break even in Lake Havasu City, you'd need to earn
$68,000
Household gross, versus $77,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Flagstaff does now.
The tax difference alone
$0
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.8% in Flagstaff, 20.8% in Lake Havasu City.
More about Lake Havasu City
Flagstaff, AZ in full
A flat 2.5% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,956 and 272 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
Lake Havasu City, AZ in full
A flat 2.5% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,237 and 273 sunny days; commutes average 20 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Lake Havasu City on Lake Havasu City wages.
Lake Havasu City → Flagstaff →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Lake Havasu City than Flagstaff?
A one-bedroom is about $1,643 in Flagstaff versus $1,039 in Lake Havasu City. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $504 a month higher in Lake Havasu City. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Lake Havasu City have state income tax?
Lake Havasu City is in Arizona, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Flagstaff to Lake Havasu City?
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.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Flagstaff and Lake Havasu City moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
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.