Moving to Arizona from Ohio
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Ohio to Arizona — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Ohio to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 8.1% more expensive than Ohio. A $75,000 salary in Ohio would need to be roughly $86,264 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 76°F in Columbus, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Ohio to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $86,264
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 16.7% more
Groceries
pay 4.9% more
Transportation
pay 8.5% less
Housing
pay 38.8% more
Childcare
pay 13.9% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.8% 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 20% more than cities in Ohio.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
How Ohio 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
Ohio performs 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
Arizona generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Ohio 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
Ohio 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
Ohio 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
Arizona performs significantly better than Ohio 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 | Columbus | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 63°/41°F (17°/5°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 84°/62°F (29°/16°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 90°/71°F (32°/21°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 68°/47°F (20°/8°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Columbus | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 58°/37°F (14.2°/2.7°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 62°/40°F (16.7°/4.5°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 69°/46°F (20.8°/7.8°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 77°/53°F (24.8°/11.4°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 84°/62°F (28.9°/16.6°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 90°/70°F (32.2°/20.9°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 92°/73°F (33.4°/22.7°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 91°/72°F (33.0°/22.4°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 86°/67°F (30.2°/19.3°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 77°/56°F (25.2°/13.1°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 68°/46°F (20.2°/7.8°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 59°/39°F (15.2°/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 Ohio?
Day-to-day costs in Arizona run about 15% higher than Ohio 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 $21,566 in Arizona for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Arizona safe?
Ohio performs better than Arizona across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Ohio?
Arizona generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Ohio leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Ohio?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 76°F in Columbus. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Columbus gets 46.8 in.
