Los Angeles, CA → Tucson, AZ
You'd keep $818 more a month in Tucson
+$9,816 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
In 2022-2023, 844 households moved Los Angeles → Tucson (avg AGI $73,992). 617 went the other way. The whole move →
| Per month | Los Angeles | Tucson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,750 | $6,953 | −$1,797 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,378 | $1,506 | −$872 |
| Take-home pay | $6,372 | $5,447 | −$925 |
| Rent | $2,276 | $1,022 | −$1,254 |
| Getting around | $674 | $547 | −$127 |
| Groceries | $476 | $376 | −$100 |
| Healthcare | $536 | $423 | −$113 |
| Utilities | $298 | $235 | −$63 |
| Everything else | $417 | $329 | −$88 |
| Left over | $1,697 | $2,515 | +$818 |
To break even in Tucson, you'd need to earn
$69,000
Household gross, versus $105,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Los Angeles does now.
The tax difference alone
+$4,071
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 27.2% in Los Angeles, 21.7% in Tucson.
More about Tucson
Los Angeles, CA in full
Perfect weather, deep job market, and a car payment you can't avoid.
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 → Los Angeles →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.