Phoenix, AZ vs Boston, MA
Moving from Phoenix to Boston? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $741,868 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Boston 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 $105,462 in Boston, MA (+$5,462).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Boston, MA: 48 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 1,146 sqft in Boston ($242 vs $436 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Boston, MA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $38,532 | +$17,628 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $5,040 | +$121 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,210 | −$750 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $3,180 | +$1,512 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,800 | +$0 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $17,694 | +$10,414 |
| Total | $40,531 | $69,455 | +$28,924 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Boston, MA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 110.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.02% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 2.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $6.28 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $741,868 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 6.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 1.6% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $436 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $3,211 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 11.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.25% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 9.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 1.14% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $8,200 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $21,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.25% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 31 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,500 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.30 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $108 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $71 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 330 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 82 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 43.6 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 49.2 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 58% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 4 |