

Grand Forks vs Phoenix
$282/mo less in Phoenix
Grand ForksPhoenixAbout 1,285 miles apart, a flight.
- Phoenix costs you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 299 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,564/mo in Phoenix. $2,846/mo in Grand Forks. −$3,384 a year.
Grand Forks
$2,846
left each month
Phoenix
$2,564
−$282 vs Grand Forks
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 44 households moved Grand Forks → Phoenix (avg AGI $82,386). 30 went the other way. The whole move →
−$282 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Grand Forks | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,958 | $7,567 | +$609 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,398 | $1,703 | +$306 |
| Take-home pay | $5,561 | $5,863 | +$303 |
| Rent | $924 | $1,277 | +$353 |
| Getting around | $525 | $586 | +$61 |
| Groceries | $349 | $396 | +$47 |
| Healthcare | $393 | $446 | +$53 |
| Utilities | $218 | $248 | +$30 |
| Everything else | $306 | $347 | +$41 |
| Left over | $2,846 | $2,564 | −$282 |
Salary to match Grand Forks
$96,000
Gross pay in Phoenix that leaves the same amount as $83,500 in Grand Forks.
Tax difference
−$1,507
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.1% in Grand Forks, 22.5% in Phoenix.
More about Phoenix
Grand Forks, ND in full
State income tax topping out at 2.5%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,100 and 186 sunny days; commutes average 17 minutes.
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 → Grand Forks →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Phoenix than Grand Forks?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Phoenix leaves about $282 less a month. A one-bedroom is about $924 in Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks 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.