Spokane, WA vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Spokane to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($423,842 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Spokane 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 Spokane, WA, you'd need about $103,717 in Phoenix, AZ (+$3,717).
Livability — Spokane, WA: 59 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,123 sqft in Spokane vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($236 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Spokane, WA | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $18,588 | $20,904 | +$2,316 |
| Groceries | $5,246 | $4,919 | −$327 |
| Transportation | $4,075 | $3,960 | −$115 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $1,668 | +$120 |
| Insurance | $1,500 | $1,800 | +$300 |
| Taxes | $6,160 | $7,280 | +$1,120 |
| Total | $37,117 | $40,531 | +$3,414 |
Side by side
| Metric | Spokane, WA | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 100.9 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.75% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.9% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 42 | 42 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.74 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $423,842 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 0.3% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $236 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,549 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.7% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.38% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | 7.00% | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.88% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $16,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 23 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,500 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $700 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.4 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.55 | 3.60 |
| Natural gas / mo | $58 | $54 |
| Water & sewer / mo | $167 | $106 |
| Home internet / mo | $83 | $77 |
| Violent crime /100k | 375 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 76 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 37 | 41 |
| Annual precipitation (in) | 16.6 | 7.2 |
| Annual snowfall (in) | 45.0 | 0.0 |
| Sunshine (% possible) | 52% | 85% |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 5 | 2 |