Moving from Jefferson City to Phoenix

Moving to Phoenix costs you $316 a month

−$3,792 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.

Jefferson City leftover

$2,881

a month after tax and rent

Phoenix leftover

$2,565

−$316 vs Jefferson City

Monthly and annual budget comparison between Jefferson City, MO and Phoenix, AZ
Per monthJefferson CityPhoenixDifference
Gross pay$7,083$7,567+$484
Income and payroll tax$1,657$1,704+$46
Take-home pay$5,426$5,863+$437
Rent$744$1,276+$532
Getting around$533$586+$53
Groceries$350$396+$46
Healthcare$394$446+$52
Utilities$219$248+$29
Everything else$306$347+$41
Left over$2,881$2,565−$316

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

$96,500

Household gross, versus $85,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Jefferson City does now.

The tax difference alone

+$1,163

A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 23.4% in Jefferson City, 22.5% in Phoenix.

More about Phoenix

Jefferson City, MO in full

State income tax topping out at 4.7%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $886 and 217 sunny days; commutes average 22 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.

PhoenixJefferson City

Questions

Is the cost of living lower in Phoenix than Jefferson City?

A one-bedroom is about $744 in Jefferson City versus $1,276 in Phoenix. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $316 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 Jefferson City 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.