Moving to Georgia from Arizona
What to Expect
Considering a move from Arizona to Georgia? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Arizona to Georgia, you would find that Georgia is 4.9% cheaper than Arizona. A $75,000 salary in Arizona would need to be roughly $71,300 in Georgia to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Atlanta averages 72°F vs 87°F in Phoenix, making it significantly cooler. Phoenix and Atlanta are about 1,600 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Georgia? Get a shortlist of towns in Georgia that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Georgia cheaper than Arizona?
How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 9.8% less
Groceries
pay 3.3% less
Transportation
pay 3.1% less
Housing
pay 7.3% less
Childcare
pay 1.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 2.4% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in Georgia?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $71,300
To maintain the same standard of living in Georgia
Calculate with your salary →Cost of living by city
Cost of living varies a lot by city. Each figure is a city's overall cost of living as a percentage of New York City (the priciest, = 100%).
On average, cities in Georgia cost about 5% less than cities in Arizona.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Georgia compared to Arizona.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Arizona generally does better on safety, though Georgia leads in violent crime rate.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Arizona performs better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Georgia generally does better on what about housing?, though Arizona leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Arizona performs better than Georgia across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Arizona generally does better on employment & economy, though Georgia leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Arizona generally does better on family life, though Georgia leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Georgia vs Arizona
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Phoenix | Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) | 58°/39°F (14°/4°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) | 64°/45°F (17°/7°C) |
View all months
| Month | Phoenix | Atlanta |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C) |
| Feb | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C) |
| Mar | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C) |
| Apr | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) | 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C) |
| May | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) | 80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C) |
| Jun | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) | 86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C) |
| Jul | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) | 89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C) |
| Aug | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C) |
| Sep | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) | 82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C) |
| Oct | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) | 73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C) |
| Nov | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C) |
| Dec | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) | 54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Georgia than Arizona?
On average Georgia is about 5% less expensive than Arizona, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Georgia?
Budget about $17,825 for 3 months in Georgia (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Georgia safe?
Arizona generally does better on safety, though Georgia leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in Georgia compared to Arizona?
Arizona performs better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Georgia compared to Arizona?
The average high temperature in Atlanta is 72°F, compared to 87°F in Phoenix. Atlanta receives around 49.7 in of rainfall per year, while Phoenix gets 8.2 in.
