Moving to New York from Arizona
What to Expect
Considering a move from Arizona to New York? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Arizona to New York, you would find that New York is 19.3% more expensive than Arizona. A $75,000 salary in Arizona would need to be roughly $84,258 in New York to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Albany averages 58°F vs 87°F in Phoenix, making it significantly cooler.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Arizona and New York.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $84,258
To maintain the same standard of living in New York
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 3.2% less
Groceries
pay 21.5% more
Transportation
pay 25.0% more
Housing
pay 4.4% less
Childcare
pay 66.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 25.8% 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 New York cost about 10% more than cities in Arizona.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in New York 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 New York 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
New York 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 New York across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Arizona performs better than New York 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 New York leads in gdp per capita.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New York 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 | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) |
View all months
| Month | Phoenix | Albany |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) |
| Feb | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) |
| Mar | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) |
| Apr | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) |
| May | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) |
| Jun | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) |
| Aug | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) |
| Sep | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) |
| Oct | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) |
| Nov | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) |
| Dec | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New York than Arizona?
On average New York is around 12% pricier than Arizona, with notable variation by city.
How much money do I need to move to New York?
Budget about $21,064 for 3 months in New York (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New York safe?
Arizona generally does better on safety, though New York leads in violent crime rate.
How is healthcare in New York compared to Arizona?
New York performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in New York compared to Arizona?
The average high temperature in Albany is 58°F, compared to 87°F in Phoenix. Albany receives around 39.4 in of rainfall per year, while Phoenix gets 8.2 in.
