Moving to Arizona from New York
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from New York to Arizona — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from New York to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 11.9% cheaper than New York. A $75,000 salary in New York would need to be roughly $66,759 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 58°F in Albany, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
What to expect for your wallet after moving from New York to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,759
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 4.0% more
Groceries
pay 17.2% less
Transportation
pay 16.3% less
Housing
pay 7.4% more
Childcare
pay 39.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 17.1% 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 Arizona cost about 9% less than cities in New York.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from New York to Arizona.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
New York 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
New York performs 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 significantly 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 significantly 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
New York generally does better on employment & economy, though Arizona leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
New York performs 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 | Albany | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 37°/19°F (2°/-7°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 78°/58°F (26°/14°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Albany | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/15°F (-0.8°/-9.7°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 35°/17°F (1.4°/-8.2°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 44°/26°F (6.9°/-3.5°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 58°/37°F (14.6°/2.9°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 69°/47°F (20.8°/8.4°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 78°/56°F (25.5°/13.6°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 82°/61°F (27.9°/16.3°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 80°/60°F (26.9°/15.5°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 72°/52°F (22.3°/10.9°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.4°/4.2°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.3°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 36°/21°F (2.1°/-6.0°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 York?
Yes — Arizona is on average about 11% cheaper than New York. City-level variation can be significant.
How much money do I need to move to Arizona?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $16,690 in Arizona on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Arizona safe?
New York generally does better on safety, though Arizona leads in property crime rate.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to New York?
New York performs better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to New York?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 58°F in Albany. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Albany gets 39.4 in.
