Moving to Arizona from Spain
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Spain to Arizona — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Spain to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 44.2% more expensive than Spain overall. A €65,374 salary in Spain would need to be roughly $82,564 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle, and you’d need to navigate life in English. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 68°F in Madrid, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Spain to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
€65,374 → $82,564
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 16.3% more
Groceries
pay 40.6% more
Transportation
pay 1.4% less
Housing
pay 96.2% more
Childcare
pay 2.1 times more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 56.9% 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 25% more than cities in Spain.
Compare cities head-to-head
Get free moving quotes to Arizona
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Who Else Is Making This Move?
Real numbers on people moving from Spain to Arizona, and how the trend has changed.
people moved from Spain to United States · OECD (latest data available)
Who's moving to United States?
Top countries of origin for United States's foreign-born residents.
- 10,853,105
- 2,723,764
- 2,184,110
- 2,061,178
- 1,829,251
- 1,410,659
- · · ·
-
64.102,633
Spain
Key Indicator Comparison
How Spain and Arizona stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
How's the healthcare?
share of adults with obesity
Spain performs better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
Spain performs better than Arizona across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
share of people below the poverty line
Arizona performs significantly better than Spain across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
Spain performs better than Arizona across all family life metrics.
Data: The World Factbook
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Madrid | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 55°/40°F (13°/4°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/53°F (23°/12°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/64°F (30°/18°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 58°/44°F (14°/7°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Madrid | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 50°/37°F (9.8°/2.7°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 54°/39°F (12.0°/3.7°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 61°/43°F (16.3°/6.2°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 65°/46°F (18.2°/7.7°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.2°/11.3°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 83°/61°F (28.2°/16.1°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 90°/66°F (32.1°/19.0°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 88°/66°F (31.3°/18.8°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 80°/60°F (26.4°/15.4°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 67°/51°F (19.4°/10.7°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 56°/43°F (13.5°/6.2°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 50°/38°F (10.0°/3.6°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
Agencia Estatal de Meteorología,
National Weather Service
Visitor Visa Requirements
Short-stay tourist visa rules between Spain and United States. To live, work, or study long-term in United States, you'll need a separate residence or work visa — check United States's immigration authority.
Spain passport holder visiting United States
Electronic Travel Authorisation
United States passport holder visiting Spain
Visa FreeData: Henley Passport Index. Check with the destination country's embassy for the most current requirements.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than Spain?
Day-to-day costs in Arizona run about 10% higher than Spain 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 €65,374 comparable salary, that's around $20,641 in Arizona for everyday spending, before flights, shipping, a rental deposit, and visa fees.
Can I work remotely from Arizona?
Working remotely from Arizona's major cities is generally feasible. The legal layer matters more — visa category, employer policy on overseas employees, and tax residency in Spain and Arizona.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Spain?
Spain performs better than Arizona across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Spain?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 68°F in Madrid. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Madrid gets 16.6 in.
What language do they speak in Arizona?
The official language in Arizona is English. In Spain, the official languages are Basque, Catalan, Galician and Spanish.
