Moving from Phoenix to Appleton
You'd keep $532 more a month in Appleton
+$6,384 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Phoenix leftover
$2,577
a month after tax and rent
Appleton leftover
$3,109
+$532 vs Phoenix
| Per month | Phoenix | Appleton | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,583 | $7,935 | +$352 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,709 | $1,983 | +$274 |
| Take-home pay | $5,875 | $5,952 | +$78 |
| Rent | $1,276 | $923 | −$353 |
| Getting around | $586 | $551 | −$35 |
| Groceries | $396 | $378 | −$18 |
| Healthcare | $446 | $425 | −$21 |
| Utilities | $248 | $236 | −$12 |
| Everything else | $347 | $330 | −$17 |
| Left over | $2,577 | $3,109 | +$532 |
To break even in Appleton, you'd need to earn
$85,500
Household gross, versus $91,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Phoenix does now.
The tax difference alone
−$2,039
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 22.5% in Phoenix, 25.0% in Appleton.
More about Appleton
Phoenix, AZ in full
A 2.5% flat income tax, cheap housing for a big metro, and a genuinely dangerous July.
Appleton, WI in full
State income tax topping out at 7.65%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,099 and 195 sunny days; commutes average 21 minutes.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Appleton on Appleton wages.
Appleton → Phoenix →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Appleton than Phoenix?
A one-bedroom is about $1,276 in Phoenix versus $923 in Appleton. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $532 a month higher in Appleton. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Appleton have state income tax?
Appleton is in Wisconsin, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Phoenix to Appleton?
Take-home pay is recalculated under Wisconsin 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.