Phoenix, AZ vs Augusta, GA
Moving from Phoenix to Augusta? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $253,524 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Augusta 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 $87,168 in Augusta, GA (−$12,832).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Augusta, GA: 72 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 4,042 sqft in Augusta ($242 vs $124 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Augusta, GA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $17,748 | −$3,156 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,809 | −$110 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,515 | −$445 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,656 | −$12 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $2,100 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $9,236 | +$1,956 |
| Total | $40,531 | $39,064 | −$1,467 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Augusta, GA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 91.2 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 6.45% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 4.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.19 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $253,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 2.8% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $124 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,479 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 8.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 5.39% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.68% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $9,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $2,100 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.15 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $74 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $123 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $88 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 370 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 89 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 34 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 50.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 2.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 60% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 2 |