Moving to Massachusetts from Arizona
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Arizona to Massachusetts — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Arizona to Massachusetts, you would find that Massachusetts is 21.7% more expensive than Arizona. A $75,000 salary in Arizona would need to be roughly $89,398 in Massachusetts to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Boston averages 59°F vs 87°F in Phoenix, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from Arizona to Massachusetts.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $89,398
To maintain the same standard of living in Massachusetts
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 3.5% more
Groceries
pay 17.5% more
Transportation
pay 7.3% more
Housing
pay 10.5% more
Childcare
pay 86.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 24.1% 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 Massachusetts cost about 24% more than cities in Arizona.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Arizona to Massachusetts.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Arizona 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
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Arizona performs better than Massachusetts across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Arizona generally does better on infrastructure, though Massachusetts 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
Massachusetts generally does better on employment & economy, though Arizona leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Massachusetts 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 | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) | 40°/26°F (4°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) | 66°/50°F (19°/10°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) | 78°/62°F (25°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) | 51°/38°F (11°/3°C) |
View all months
| Month | Phoenix | Boston |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) | 36°/22°F (2.1°/-5.4°C) |
| Feb | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) | 39°/25°F (3.7°/-4.1°C) |
| Mar | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 45°/31°F (7.4°/-0.5°C) |
| Apr | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) | 56°/41°F (13.1°/4.8°C) |
| May | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) | 66°/50°F (18.9°/9.9°C) |
| Jun | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) | 76°/60°F (24.4°/15.3°C) |
| Jul | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) | 81°/65°F (27.4°/18.6°C) |
| Aug | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) | 80°/65°F (26.4°/18.1°C) |
| Sep | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) | 72°/57°F (22.4°/14.1°C) |
| Oct | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) | 61°/47°F (16.3°/8.1°C) |
| Nov | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) | 51°/38°F (10.8°/3.3°C) |
| Dec | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) | 41°/28°F (5.1°/-2.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Massachusetts than Arizona?
No — Massachusetts is on average about 19% more expensive than Arizona. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to Massachusetts?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $22,350 in Massachusetts on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Massachusetts safe?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Arizona across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Massachusetts compared to Arizona?
Massachusetts performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Massachusetts compared to Arizona?
The average high temperature in Boston is 59°F, compared to 87°F in Phoenix. Boston receives around 43.8 in of rainfall per year, while Phoenix gets 8.2 in.
