Accountants & Auditors salary in Phoenix, AZ
Median pay for accountants & auditors in Phoenix, AZ: $79,550/yr
Typical range (10th–90th percentile): $51,290 – $133,550 · about 19,850 employed locally
Above the typical metro median ($74,290) by +$5,260 (+7%).
What it's really worth in Phoenix
With Phoenix's cost of living at 105 (US=100), that $79,550 has the buying power of about $75,996 in an average-cost US metro.
Local context: median household income $79,935 · median home $448,352 · median rent $1,742/mo.
How Phoenix ranks for this job
On raw pay, Phoenix, AZ is 40th of the 187 metros we hold accountants & auditors wages for. Once Phoenix's cost of living is applied, it ranks 107th.
The headline number flatters Phoenix. Once housing and everyday costs are taken into account, accountants & auditors here keep less of what they earn than the raw salary implies.
What that salary buys in Phoenix
A median home in Phoenix, AZ costs $448,352 — about 5.6× this salary, against a typical US metro figure of 4.7×. Buying is harder here than in the average metro on this income.
Median rent of $1,742/mo works out at 26% of gross pay — inside the conventional 30% affordability ceiling.
Where accountants & auditors earn more
Pay on its own is only half the picture, so each row shows what rent costs there relative to Phoenix.
| Metro | Median pay | vs Phoenix | Rent vs Phoenix |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Jose, CA | $113,980 | +43% | 2.1× |
| San Francisco, CA | $103,990 | +31% | 1.9× |
| New York, NY | $103,900 | +31% | 2× |
| Washington, DC | $97,320 | +22% | 1.4× |
Same job elsewhere in AZ
| Metro | Median pay | vs Phoenix | Rent vs Phoenix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tucson, AZ | $68,310 | −14% | 0.8× |
Staying in AZ keeps state income tax and licensing the same, which makes these the most directly comparable moves.
Other jobs in Phoenix
Source: US BLS OEWS (May 2023) median annual wage; cost of living from BEA; home price and rent from Zillow; household income from US Census ACS. Rankings are across the 187 metros we hold wage data for in this occupation. Estimates for guidance only. See methodology.