Phoenix, AZ vs Reno, NV
Moving from Phoenix to Reno? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $570,546 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Reno 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 $93,646 in Reno, NV (−$6,354).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Reno, NV: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 1,665 sqft in Reno ($242 vs $300 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Reno, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $23,736 | +$2,832 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,841 | −$78 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $4,740 | +$780 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,548 | −$120 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,300 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $5,060 | −$2,220 |
| Total | $40,531 | $41,225 | +$694 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Reno, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 98.0 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 9.2% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.58 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $570,546 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 7.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 0.0% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $300 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,978 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.48% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 22 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 4.20 |
| Natural gas / mo | $54 | $48 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $106 | $80 |
| Home internet / mo | $77 | $89 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 30 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 7.2 | 7.4 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 0.0 | 22.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 85% | 82% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |
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