Phoenix, AZ vs Rochester, NY
Moving from Phoenix to Rochester? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $285,034 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix vs Rochester 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 $93,994 in Rochester, NY (−$6,006).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Rochester, NY: 59 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,807 sqft in Rochester ($242 vs $178 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Rochester, NY | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $19,164 | −$1,740 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,868 | −$51 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $3,895 | −$65 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $3,180 | +$1,512 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,600 | −$200 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $18,722 | +$11,442 |
| Total | $40,531 | $51,429 | +$10,898 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Rochester, NY |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 98.4 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 5.01% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 0.6% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 39 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.60 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $285,034 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 4.0× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | 4.7% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $178 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,597 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 15.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 8.52% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | 10.90% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 2.76% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $7,800 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $17,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | None |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 21 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,600 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,100 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $800 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 29.4 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 3.45 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 350 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 83 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 16 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 5 |