Albuquerque, NM vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Albuquerque to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($352,894 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Albuquerque vs Phoenix at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Albuquerque, NM, you'd need about $111,801 in Phoenix, AZ (+$11,801).
Livability — Albuquerque, NM: 60 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,621 sqft in Albuquerque vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($191 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Albuquerque, NM | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,024 | $20,904 | +$2,880 |
| Groceries | $4,871 | $4,919 | +$48 |
| Transportation | $3,260 | $3,960 | +$700 |
| Utilities | $1,632 | $1,668 | +$36 |
| Insurance | $1,900 | $1,800 | −$100 |
| Taxes | $10,881 | $7,280 | −$3,601 |
| Total | $40,568 | $40,531 | −$37 |
Side by side
| Metric | Albuquerque, NM | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 93.6 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.69% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 1.2% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 61 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.33 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $352,894 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.5× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 1.0% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $191 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,502 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.2% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.78% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 5.90% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.93% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 24 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.2 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 780 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 92 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 25 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |