Phoenix, AZ vs Lancaster, PA
Moving from Phoenix to Lancaster? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $388,207 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Lancaster 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 $92,432 in Lancaster, PA (−$7,568).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Lancaster, PA: 64 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,254 sqft in Lancaster ($242 vs $222 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Lancaster, PA | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $18,312 | −$2,592 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,915 | −$4 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,440 | −$520 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $2,316 | +$648 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,200 | −$600 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $9,202 | +$1,922 |
| Total | $40,531 | $39,385 | −$1,146 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Lancaster, PA |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 96.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 3.38% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 3.1% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.51 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $388,207 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.8× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 4.6% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $222 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,526 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 10.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 6.34% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 3.07% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 1.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,000 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $12,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 24 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,200 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $1,600 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $650 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 21.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.55 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $82 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $65 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $78 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 390 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 85 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 22 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 44.1 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 23.1 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 56% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |