Moving to Arizona from Missouri
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Missouri to Arizona — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Missouri to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 8.0% more expensive than Missouri. A $75,000 salary in Missouri would need to be roughly $86,376 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 66°F in Columbia, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Missouri to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $86,376
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 15.5% more
Groceries
pay 0.8% less
Transportation
pay 5.4% less
Housing
pay 37.0% more
Childcare
pay 8.1% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 15.4% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Missouri 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
Arizona performs significantly better than Missouri 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
Missouri generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Missouri performs better than Arizona across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Missouri generally does better on infrastructure, though Arizona 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
Arizona generally does better on employment & economy, though Missouri leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Missouri 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 | Columbia | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 47°/28°F (8°/-2°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 76°/55°F (24°/13°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/18°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 55°/36°F (13°/2°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbia | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/22°F (4.3°/-5.3°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 45°/26°F (7.2°/-3.3°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 56°/35°F (13.3°/1.7°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 67°/46°F (19.3°/7.6°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 75°/55°F (24.0°/12.9°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 85°/65°F (29.2°/18.1°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.0°/20.4°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (31.3°/19.6°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 80°/58°F (26.6°/14.5°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 68°/47°F (20.0°/8.1°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 55°/37°F (12.7°/2.6°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 42°/25°F (5.6°/-3.8°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than Missouri?
Day-to-day costs in Arizona run about 15% higher than Missouri on average; specific cities can swing further.
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 $21,594 in Arizona for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Arizona safe?
Arizona performs significantly better than Missouri across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Missouri?
Missouri generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Missouri?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 66°F in Columbia. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Columbia gets 46.3 in.
