Sierra Vista vs Tucson leftover
You'd keep $140 more a month in Tucson
$2,526/mo leftover in Tucson vs $2,386 in Sierra Vista after tax and rent ($140 more). +$1,680 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Sierra Vista leftover
$2,386
a month after tax and rent
Tucson leftover
$2,526
+$140 vs Sierra Vista
Compare Sierra Vista to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Sierra Vista.
Monthly gap
Sierra Vista → Tucson
$140
more / month in Tucson
$2,526 in Tucson · $2,386 in Sierra Vista · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 784 households moved Sierra Vista → Tucson (avg AGI $48,157). 625 went the other way. The whole move →
+$140 / mo
| Per month | Sierra Vista | Tucson | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,583 | $6,950 | +$367 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,387 | $1,505 | +$118 |
| Take-home pay | $5,196 | $5,445 | +$249 |
| Rent | $832 | $1,009 | +$177 |
| Getting around | $563 | $547 | −$16 |
| Groceries | $390 | $376 | −$14 |
| Healthcare | $439 | $423 | −$16 |
| Utilities | $244 | $235 | −$9 |
| Everything else | $342 | $329 | −$13 |
| Left over | $2,386 | $2,526 | +$140 |
To break even in Tucson, you'd need to earn
$81,000
Household gross, versus $79,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Sierra Vista does now.
The tax difference alone
−$110
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.1% in Sierra Vista, 21.7% in Tucson.
More about Tucson
Sierra Vista, AZ in full
A flat 2.5% state income tax, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $991 and 280 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
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 → Sierra Vista →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Tucson than Sierra Vista?
A one-bedroom is about $832 in Sierra Vista versus $1,009 in Tucson. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $140 a month higher in Tucson. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Tucson have state income tax?
Tucson is in Arizona, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Sierra Vista to Tucson?
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.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Sierra Vista and Tucson moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
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.