Phoenix, AZ vs Seattle, WA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $815 a month in Phoenix.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Fair Market Rent. The 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gap is $815: Seattle is higher at $2,549 versus $1,734.
Arizona taxes wages at a flat 2.50%. Washington has no tax on wages. Combined sales tax differs by 1.0 percentage points, higher in Washington. The effective property tax gap is 0.36 percentage points, higher in Washington.
After a move from Arizona to Washington, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Phoenix lines up with about $80,675 in Seattle on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Phoenix
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,734
- HUD area
- Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,819
- All-items price parity
- 103.3
- Goods price parity
- 95.0
- Utilities price parity
- 93.3
- Mean commute
- 27.6 min
- Median household income
- $90,133
Seattle
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,549
- HUD area
- Seattle-Bellevue, WA HUD Metro FMR Area
- Census median gross rent
- $2,050
- All-items price parity
- 111.1
- Goods price parity
- 104.0
- Utilities price parity
- 92.8
- Mean commute
- 30.0 min
- Median household income
- $112,388
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$80,675
Salary in Seattle that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$79,077
Gross salary in Seattle whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$110,251
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | Arizona | Washington |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 2.50% flat | No wage tax |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 8.5% | 9.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.43% | 0.79% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,716 a year in Arizona and $3,141 in Washington. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in Washington
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Arizona and once in Washington. This is an illustration, not your application.
| Program | Phoenix | Seattle |
|---|---|---|
| SNAP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Phoenix
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Phoenix.
- Phoenix and San Francisco · rent gap $1,963
- Phoenix and San Jose · rent gap $1,538
- Phoenix and Boston · rent gap $1,274
- Phoenix and New York · rent gap $1,237
- Phoenix and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,230
- Phoenix and San Diego · rent gap $1,089
- Phoenix and Miami · rent gap $830
- Phoenix and Urban Honolulu · rent gap $808
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.