Phoenix, AZ vs Lakeland, FL
Moving from Phoenix to Lakeland? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $298,816 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Lakeland 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 $93,367 in Lakeland, FL (−$6,633).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Lakeland, FL: 69 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 3,096 sqft in Lakeland ($242 vs $162 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Lakeland, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $22,188 | +$1,284 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,813 | −$106 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $4,800 | +$840 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,656 | −$12 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $4,200 | +$2,400 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $4,036 | −$3,244 |
| Total | $40,531 | $41,693 | +$1,162 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Lakeland, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 97.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 4.63% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 12.9% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.56 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $298,816 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.9× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | -3.2% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $162 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,849 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.1% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 7.02% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.73% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 30 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $4,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $1,400 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 15.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.35 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $38 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $88 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $76 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 52 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 51.5 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 68% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |