Moving to Arizona from New Mexico
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New Mexico to Arizona — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New Mexico to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 4.9% more expensive than New Mexico. A $75,000 salary in New Mexico would need to be roughly $78,204 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 64°F in Santa Fe, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from New Mexico to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $78,204
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 11.6% more
Groceries
pay 5.5% less
Transportation
pay 23.6% more
Housing
pay 27.5% more
Childcare
pay 16.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 1.4% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How New Mexico 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 New Mexico 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
New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New Mexico 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
New Mexico 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 performs significantly better than New Mexico 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 performs significantly better than New Mexico 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 | Santa Fe | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/22°F (9°/-5°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/43°F (23°/6°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/53°F (28°/12°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/28°F (12°/-2°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Santa Fe | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°/19°F (5.9°/-7.4°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 47°/21°F (8.3°/-6.2°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 54°/27°F (12.3°/-2.6°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 63°/33°F (17.4°/0.6°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.3°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 83°/52°F (28.3°/11.2°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 85°/56°F (29.6°/13.4°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 83°/55°F (28.1°/12.8°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (25.1°/9.1°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 65°/38°F (18.6°/3.1°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 53°/28°F (11.6°/-2.5°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 43°/19°F (6.2°/-7.4°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than New Mexico?
Day-to-day costs in Arizona run about 4% higher than New Mexico 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 $19,551 in Arizona for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Arizona safe?
Arizona performs significantly better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to New Mexico?
New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to New Mexico?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 64°F in Santa Fe. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Santa Fe gets 15.7 in.
