Moving to Arizona from Georgia
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Georgia to Arizona — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Georgia to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 1.1% more expensive than Georgia. A $75,000 salary in Georgia would need to be roughly $76,549 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 72°F in Atlanta, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Georgia to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $76,549
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 10.9% more
Groceries
pay 1.7% less
Transportation
pay 2.7% less
Housing
pay 11.1% more
Childcare
pay 13.4% less
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.
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 Arizona cost about 8% more than cities in Georgia.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Georgia and Arizona 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
Georgia generally does better on safety, though Arizona leads in property 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 significantly 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 significantly 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
Georgia generally does better on employment & economy, though Arizona leads in median household income.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Georgia generally does better on family life, though Arizona leads in life expectancy.
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 | Atlanta | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 58°/39°F (14°/4°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 79°/60°F (26°/16°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/69°F (30°/20°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 64°/45°F (17°/7°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Atlanta | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 52°/34°F (11.3°/1.3°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 57°/38°F (13.7°/3.2°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 65°/44°F (18.1°/6.7°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 72°/51°F (22.5°/10.8°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 80°/60°F (26.6°/15.7°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 86°/68°F (30.2°/20.1°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 89°/71°F (31.7°/21.8°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 88°/71°F (31.2°/21.5°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 82°/65°F (27.9°/18.2°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 73°/54°F (22.6°/12.2°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 64°/44°F (17.6°/6.9°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 54°/36°F (12.2°/2.5°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than Georgia?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Arizona and Georgia; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Arizona?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $19,137 in Arizona for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Arizona safe?
Georgia generally does better on safety, though Arizona leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Georgia?
Arizona performs significantly better than Georgia across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Georgia?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 72°F in Atlanta. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Atlanta gets 49.7 in.
