San Antonio, TX → Phoenix, AZ
Moving to Phoenix costs you $256 a month
−$3,072 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | San Antonio | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,250 | $7,562 | +$312 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,451 | $1,702 | +$251 |
| Take-home pay | $5,799 | $5,860 | +$61 |
| Rent | $1,052 | $1,276 | +$224 |
| Getting around | $566 | $586 | +$20 |
| Groceries | $376 | $396 | +$20 |
| Healthcare | $423 | $446 | +$23 |
| Utilities | $235 | $248 | +$13 |
| Everything else | $329 | $347 | +$18 |
| Left over | $2,818 | $2,562 | −$256 |
To break even in Phoenix, you'd need to earn
$95,500
Household gross, versus $87,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as San Antonio does now.
The tax difference alone
−$1,904
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.0% in San Antonio, 22.5% in Phoenix.
San Antonio, TX in full
Among the cheapest big-city rents in the country, with the highest property tax rate here.
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.
Phoenix → San Antonio →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.