Phoenix, AZ vs Asheville, NC
Moving from Phoenix to Asheville? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $428,742 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Asheville 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $93,041 in Asheville, NC (−$6,959).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Asheville, NC: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,332 sqft in Asheville ($242 vs $214 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Asheville, NC | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $20,496 | −$408 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,840 | −$79 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,130 | −$830 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,752 | +$84 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,000 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $8,431 | +$1,151 |
| Total | $40,531 | $40,649 | +$118 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Asheville, NC |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 97.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 3.52% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 5.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 48 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.54 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $428,742 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 6.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | -3.6% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $214 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,708 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.98% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 4.25% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.59% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 1.10% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,000 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 16.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 400 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |