Moving to Maryland from Arizona
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Arizona to Maryland — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Arizona to Maryland, you would find that Maryland is 19.3% more expensive than Arizona. A $75,000 salary in Arizona would need to be roughly $82,759 in Maryland to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Annapolis averages 68°F vs 87°F in Phoenix, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Arizona to Maryland.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $82,759
To maintain the same standard of living in Maryland
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 6.7% less
Groceries
pay 30.3% more
Transportation
pay 15.7% more
Housing
pay 10.1% less
Childcare
pay 89.2% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 10.3% 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.
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 Maryland cost about 8% more than cities in Arizona.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Arizona and Maryland stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Arizona performs better than Maryland across all safety metrics.
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
Maryland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in diabetes rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Arizona generally does better on what about housing?, though Maryland leads in homeownership rate.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Arizona generally does better on infrastructure, though Maryland leads in internet access.
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
Maryland performs significantly better than Arizona across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Maryland performs significantly better than Arizona across all family life metrics.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Phoenix | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) | 50°/33°F (10°/0°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) | 77°/57°F (25°/14°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) | 59°/42°F (15°/6°C) |
View all months
| Month | Phoenix | Annapolis |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) | 44°/29°F (6.9°/-1.6°C) |
| Feb | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) | 48°/31°F (9.0°/-0.5°C) |
| Mar | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.5°C) |
| Apr | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) | 68°/47°F (20.1°/8.6°C) |
| May | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) | 77°/57°F (25.0°/13.7°C) |
| Jun | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.2°C) |
| Jul | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) | 89°/71°F (31.9°/21.9°C) |
| Aug | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) | 87°/71°F (30.8°/21.4°C) |
| Sep | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) | 81°/64°F (27.2°/17.6°C) |
| Oct | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) | 69°/52°F (20.7°/10.9°C) |
| Nov | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) | 59°/42°F (14.9°/5.3°C) |
| Dec | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) | 48°/33°F (9.1°/0.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Maryland than Arizona?
Day-to-day costs in Maryland run about 10% higher than Arizona on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Maryland?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $20,690 in Maryland for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Maryland safe?
Arizona performs better than Maryland across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Maryland compared to Arizona?
Maryland generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in diabetes rate.
What's the weather like in Maryland compared to Arizona?
The average high temperature in Annapolis is 68°F, compared to 87°F in Phoenix. Annapolis receives around 47.3 in of rainfall per year, while Phoenix gets 8.2 in.
