Phoenix, AZ vs Pensacola, FL
Moving from Phoenix to Pensacola? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $310,470 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Pensacola 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 $91,567 in Pensacola, FL (−$8,433).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Pensacola, FL: 70 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,980 sqft in Pensacola ($242 vs $168 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Pensacola, FL | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $21,180 | +$276 |
| 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 | $3,897 | −$3,383 |
| Total | $40,531 | $40,546 | +$15 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Pensacola, FL |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 95.8 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.65% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 7.0% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 46 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.45 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $310,470 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.5× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 0.7% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $168 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,765 |
| 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% | 0.62% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,500 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $10,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 26 |
| 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 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 380 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 91 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 52 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |