Moving from Wausau to Phoenix
Moving to Phoenix costs you $402 a month
−$4,824 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms.
Wausau leftover
$2,980
a month after tax and rent
Phoenix leftover
$2,578
−$402 vs Wausau
| Per month | Wausau | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $7,500 | $7,586 | +$86 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,831 | $1,710 | −$121 |
| Take-home pay | $5,669 | $5,876 | +$207 |
| Rent | $778 | $1,276 | +$498 |
| Getting around | $542 | $586 | +$44 |
| Groceries | $378 | $396 | +$18 |
| Healthcare | $425 | $446 | +$21 |
| Utilities | $236 | $248 | +$12 |
| Everything else | $330 | $347 | +$17 |
| Left over | $2,980 | $2,578 | −$402 |
To break even in Phoenix, you'd need to earn
$98,000
Household gross, versus $90,000 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Wausau does now.
The tax difference alone
+$1,762
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 24.4% in Wausau, 22.5% in Phoenix.
More about Phoenix
Wausau, WI in full
State income tax topping out at 7.65%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $926 and 190 sunny days; commutes average 19 minutes.
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 → Wausau →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Phoenix than Wausau?
A one-bedroom is about $778 in Wausau versus $1,276 in Phoenix. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $402 a month lower in Phoenix. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Phoenix have state income tax?
Phoenix is in Arizona, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Wausau to Phoenix?
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.
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.