Tucson vs Sierra Vista leftover
Moving to Sierra Vista costs you $140 a month
$2,391/mo leftover in Sierra Vista vs $2,531 in Tucson after tax and rent ($140 less). −$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.
Tucson leftover
$2,531
a month after tax and rent
Sierra Vista leftover
$2,391
−$140 vs Tucson
Compare Tucson to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Tucson.
Monthly gap
Tucson → Sierra Vista
$140
less / month in Tucson
$2,391 in Sierra Vista · $2,531 in Tucson · 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, 625 households moved Tucson → Sierra Vista (avg AGI $51,680). 784 went the other way. The whole move →
−$140 / mo
| Per month | Tucson | Sierra Vista | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,958 | $6,591 | −$367 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,508 | $1,390 | −$118 |
| Take-home pay | $5,450 | $5,201 | −$249 |
| Rent | $1,009 | $832 | −$177 |
| Getting around | $547 | $563 | +$16 |
| Groceries | $376 | $390 | +$14 |
| Healthcare | $423 | $439 | +$16 |
| Utilities | $235 | $244 | +$9 |
| Everything else | $329 | $342 | +$13 |
| Left over | $2,531 | $2,391 | −$140 |
To break even in Sierra Vista, you'd need to earn
$81,500
Household gross, versus $83,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Tucson does now.
The tax difference alone
+$110
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.7% in Tucson, 21.1% in Sierra Vista.
More about Sierra Vista
Tucson, AZ in full
Phoenix weather and hiking at a serious discount, on lower wages.
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.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Sierra Vista on Sierra Vista wages.
Sierra Vista → Tucson →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Sierra Vista than Tucson?
A one-bedroom is about $1,009 in Tucson versus $832 in Sierra Vista. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $140 a month lower in Sierra Vista. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Sierra Vista have state income tax?
Sierra Vista is in Arizona, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Tucson to Sierra Vista?
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 Tucson and Sierra Vista 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.