
Boise vs Phoenix
$568/mo more in Phoenix
BoisePhoenixAbout 714 miles apart, a flight.
- Phoenix leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 299 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $2,549/mo in Phoenix. $1,981/mo in Boise. +$6,816 a year.
Boise
$1,981
left each month
Phoenix
$2,549
+$568 vs Boise
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 455 households moved Boise → Phoenix (avg AGI $79,273). 479 went the other way. The whole move →
+$568 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Boise | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,000 | $7,544 | +$544 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,706 | $1,696 | −$10 |
| Take-home pay | $5,294 | $5,848 | +$554 |
| Rent | $1,383 | $1,277 | −$106 |
| Getting around | $524 | $586 | +$62 |
| Groceries | $388 | $396 | +$8 |
| Healthcare | $437 | $446 | +$9 |
| Utilities | $243 | $248 | +$5 |
| Everything else | $340 | $347 | +$7 |
| Left over | $1,981 | $2,549 | +$568 |
Salary to match Boise
$80,500
Gross pay in Phoenix that leaves the same amount as $84,000 in Boise.
Tax difference
+$2,054
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.4% in Boise, 22.5% in Phoenix.
More about Phoenix
Boise, ID in full
Outdoor access that rivals Denver, on wages that haven't caught up to the home prices.
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 → Boise →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Phoenix than Boise?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Phoenix leaves about $568 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $1,383 in Boise 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 Boise 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 Boise 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.