Tampa, FL → Phoenix, AZ
You'd keep $270 more a month in Phoenix
+$3,240 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
| Per month | Tampa | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,333 | $7,567 | +$234 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,476 | $1,704 | +$228 |
| Take-home pay | $5,858 | $5,864 | +$6 |
| Rent | $1,520 | $1,276 | −$244 |
| Getting around | $592 | $586 | −$6 |
| Groceries | $400 | $396 | −$4 |
| Healthcare | $450 | $446 | −$4 |
| Utilities | $250 | $248 | −$2 |
| Everything else | $350 | $347 | −$3 |
| Left over | $2,296 | $2,566 | +$270 |
To break even in Phoenix, you'd need to earn
$86,000
Household gross, versus $88,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Tampa does now.
The tax difference alone
−$1,905
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 20.1% in Tampa, 22.5% in Phoenix.
Tampa, FL in full
No income tax and beaches, but insurance costs are the hidden line item.
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 → Tampa →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.