Moving to Arizona from Tennessee
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Tennessee to Arizona — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Tennessee to Arizona, you would find that Arizona is 0.8% more expensive than Tennessee. A $75,000 salary in Tennessee would need to be roughly $76,223 in Arizona to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Phoenix averages 87°F vs 70°F in Nashville, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Tennessee to Arizona.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $76,223
To maintain the same standard of living in Arizona
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 2.9% more
Groceries
pay 4.2% less
Transportation
pay 12.6% more
Housing
pay 13.0% more
Childcare
pay 14.2% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.7% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 Tennessee leads in uninsured rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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
Tennessee 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 Tennessee 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 | Nashville | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/33°F (12°/1°C) | 73°/49°F (23°/10°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/56°F (26°/14°C) | 95°/69°F (35°/20°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 87°/66°F (30°/19°C) | 103°/80°F (40°/27°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 60°/40°F (16°/4°C) | 77°/54°F (25°/12°C) |
View all months
| Month | Nashville | Phoenix |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.3°/-2.0°C) | 69°/46°F (20.3°/7.6°C) |
| Feb | 52°/32°F (11.0°/-0.2°C) | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.3°C) |
| Mar | 61°/39°F (16.1°/3.9°C) | 78°/53°F (25.7°/11.9°C) |
| Apr | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.6°C) | 86°/60°F (29.9°/15.7°C) |
| May | 78°/57°F (25.7°/13.8°C) | 95°/69°F (34.8°/20.6°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.0°/18.6°C) | 104°/77°F (39.9°/25.1°C) |
| Jul | 89°/69°F (31.8°/20.8°C) | 106°/83°F (41.0°/28.1°C) |
| Aug | 89°/68°F (31.7°/20.2°C) | 104°/82°F (40.1°/27.8°C) |
| Sep | 82°/61°F (28.0°/15.9°C) | 100°/75°F (37.8°/24.1°C) |
| Oct | 72°/49°F (22.1°/9.4°C) | 89°/64°F (31.8°/18.0°C) |
| Nov | 60°/39°F (15.7°/4.1°C) | 76°/52°F (24.7°/11.1°C) |
| Dec | 49°/31°F (9.7°/-0.4°C) | 67°/45°F (19.6°/7.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Arizona than Tennessee?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Arizona and Tennessee; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
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 $19,056 in Arizona for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Arizona safe?
Arizona performs significantly better than Tennessee across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Arizona compared to Tennessee?
Arizona generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Tennessee leads in uninsured rate.
What's the weather like in Arizona compared to Tennessee?
The average high temperature in Phoenix is 87°F, compared to 70°F in Nashville. Phoenix receives around 8.2 in of rainfall per year, while Nashville gets 47.2 in.
