Moving to Arizona from Pennsylvania
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Pennsylvania to Arizona — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Pennsylvania to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 2.4% more expensive than Pennsylvania. A $75,000 salary in Pennsylvania would need to be roughly $76,800 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 65°F in Philadelphia, making it significantly warmer. Philadelphia and Phoenix are about 2,100 mi apart.
Thinking of moving to Arizona? Get a shortlist of towns in Arizona that match your priorities: size, cost, taxes, safety, disaster risk, hospitals and transport. Find my towns →Is Arizona cheaper than Pennsylvania?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 11.3% more
Groceries
pay 5.0% less
Transportation
pay 3.6% less
Housing
pay 17.1% more
Childcare
pay 41.0% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 3.1% 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.
What salary do you need in Arizona?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $76,800
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →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 6% more than cities in Pennsylvania.
Compare cities head-to-head
Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Pennsylvania to Arizona.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Arizona performs significantly better than Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania 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
Pennsylvania performs better than Arizona across all family life metrics.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in Arizona vs Pennsylvania
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Philadelphia | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 46°/29°F (8°/-2°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 74°/54°F (23°/12°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 83°/66°F (29°/19°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 56°/39°F (13°/4°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Philadelphia | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 40°/26°F (4.6°/-3.6°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 44°/28°F (6.6°/-2.4°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 53°/34°F (11.5°/1.3°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 64°/44°F (17.7°/6.7°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 74°/54°F (23.2°/12.2°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 83°/64°F (28.2°/17.7°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 87°/69°F (30.6°/20.7°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 85°/68°F (29.6°/19.9°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 78°/60°F (25.6°/15.7°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 67°/48°F (19.2°/9.1°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 56°/39°F (13.3°/4.0°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 45°/30°F (7.1°/-1.1°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than Pennsylvania?
Costs in Arizona and Pennsylvania are broadly similar overall, though categories like rent and dining differ between cities.
How much money do I need to move to Arizona?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $19,200 in Arizona on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is Arizona safe?
Pennsylvania performs better than Arizona across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Pennsylvania?
Pennsylvania generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Arizona leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Pennsylvania?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 65°F in Philadelphia. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Philadelphia gets 41.5 in.
