Rochester, NY vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Rochester to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($285,034 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Rochester vs Phoenix 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 Rochester, NY, you'd need about $106,390 in Phoenix, AZ (+$6,390).
Livability — Rochester, NY: 59 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,807 sqft in Rochester vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($178 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Rochester, NY | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $19,164 | $20,904 | +$1,740 |
| Groceries | $4,868 | $4,919 | +$51 |
| Transportation | $3,895 | $3,960 | +$65 |
| Utilities | $3,180 | $1,668 | −$1,512 |
| Insurance | $1,600 | $1,800 | +$200 |
| Taxes | $18,722 | $7,280 | −$11,442 |
| Total | $51,429 | $40,531 | −$10,898 |
Side by side
| Metric | Rochester, NY | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.4 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.01% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 0.6% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.60 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $285,034 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.0× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 4.7% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $178 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,597 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 15.9% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.52% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 10.90% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 2.76% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,800 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $17,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 21 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 29.4 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.45 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $98 | $54 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $87 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $76 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 350 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 83 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 16 | 41 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 35.1 | 7.2 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 102.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 51% | 85% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |