Phoenix, AZ vs Stockton, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $281 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 $281: Stockton is higher at $2,015 versus $1,734.
Arizona taxes wages at a flat 2.50%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.5 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.28 percentage points, higher in California.
After a move from Arizona to California, 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 $76,287 in Stockton 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
Stockton
Stockton-Lodi, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $2,015
- HUD area
- Stockton-Lodi, CA MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,788
- All-items price parity
- 105.1
- Goods price parity
- 105.2
- Utilities price parity
- 158.2
- Mean commute
- 34.6 min
- Median household income
- $93,038
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.
$76,287
Salary in Stockton that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$78,452
Gross salary in Stockton whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$87,154
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 | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | 2.50% flat | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 8.5% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.43% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $1,716 a year in Arizona and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in Arizona and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
PhoenixLikely eligible
StocktonLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
PhoenixLikely eligible
StocktonLikely eligible
WIC
PhoenixLikely eligible
StocktonLikely eligible
School meals
PhoenixLikely eligible
StocktonLikely eligible
LIHEAP
PhoenixMaybe
StocktonMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
PhoenixLikely eligible
StocktonLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
PhoenixLikely eligible
StocktonLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
PhoenixUnlikely
StocktonUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
PhoenixLikely eligible
StocktonLikely eligible
SSI
PhoenixUnlikely
StocktonUnlikely
| Program | Phoenix | Stockton |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (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 Seattle · rent gap $815
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.