Moving to Utah from Arizona
What to Expect
Considering a move from Arizona to Utah? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Arizona to Utah, you would find that Utah is 7.8% cheaper than Arizona. A $75,000 salary in Arizona would need to be roughly $69,200 in Utah to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Salt Lake City averages 64°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 Utah.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $69,200
To maintain the same standard of living in Utah
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 14.7% less
Groceries
pay 8.3% less
Transportation
pay 11.7% more
Housing
pay 16.4% less
Childcare
pay 3.0% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.1% less
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 Utah cost about 6% less than cities in Arizona.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
The numbers behind daily life in Utah compared to Arizona.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Utah 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
Utah 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
Utah generally does better on what about housing?, though Arizona leads in median home value.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Utah performs significantly better than Arizona 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
Utah 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
Arizona generally does better on family life, though Utah leads in life expectancy.
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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Phoenix | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) | 45°/27°F (7°/-3°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) | 72°/48°F (22°/9°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) | 87°/60°F (31°/16°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) | 51°/32°F (10°/0°C) |
View all months
| Month | Phoenix | Salt Lake City |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) | 37°/22°F (3.0°/-5.8°C) |
| Feb | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) | 43°/25°F (6.2°/-3.8°C) |
| Mar | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) | 54°/34°F (12.1°/0.9°C) |
| Apr | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) | 62°/40°F (16.4°/4.2°C) |
| May | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) | 72°/48°F (22.2°/8.8°C) |
| Jun | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) | 83°/56°F (28.3°/13.6°C) |
| Jul | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) | 93°/65°F (33.7°/18.2°C) |
| Aug | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) | 90°/63°F (32.5°/17.4°C) |
| Sep | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) | 79°/53°F (26.2°/11.7°C) |
| Oct | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) | 65°/41°F (18.2°/5.2°C) |
| Nov | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.8°C) |
| Dec | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) | 38°/23°F (3.3°/-5.2°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Utah than Arizona?
On average Utah is about 8% less expensive than Arizona, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to Utah?
Budget about $17,300 for 3 months in Utah (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Utah safe?
Utah performs significantly better than Arizona across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Utah compared to Arizona?
Utah performs significantly better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Utah compared to Arizona?
The average high temperature in Salt Lake City is 64°F, compared to 87°F in Phoenix. Salt Lake City receives around 16.1 in of rainfall per year, while Phoenix gets 8.2 in.
