Phoenix, AZ vs Kennewick, WA
Moving from Phoenix to Kennewick? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $441,524 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Kennewick 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 $94,468 in Kennewick, WA (−$5,532).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Kennewick, WA: 61 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,038 sqft in Kennewick ($242 vs $245 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Kennewick, WA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $20,556 | −$348 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $5,246 | +$327 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $4,075 | +$115 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,548 | −$120 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,500 | −$300 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $6,004 | −$1,276 |
| Total | $40,531 | $38,929 | −$1,602 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Kennewick, WA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 98.9 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.10% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 8.8% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 36 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.63 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $441,524 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 5.4× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 0.0% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $245 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,713 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 10.7% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 9.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 7.00% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.82% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,600 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $16,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,500 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $700 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $700 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 14.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 4.55 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 375 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 76 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 37 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |