From NYC to AZ: Is $72,000 A Good Salary in the Phoenix Area? (Mesa: sales, apartment)

[EdJones]

HI All,

I've taken a job in Mesa. My start date is July.

Coming from NYC, by taking this new job I've also taken a good salary cut. I think it is worth it though, because I am ready for a lifestyle change. The glamour of the big city quickly fades out if a few years, and I am an outdoors person anyway.

I understand that salaries in NYC are higher than most parts of the country. $72,000 is as high as I could negotiate with my new employer in AZ. Generally speaking, is this a decent salary to live decently in the Phoenix area?


I've been to AZ 5 times before on vacation, Sedona, Flagstaff, Grand Canyon, the whole tourist thing. I know vacation is not the same as living and working in the place. I just want to make sure that my salary negotiation was decent enough, and that it will help me be comfortable living in the Phoenix area.

Considering living in the Scottsdale area but am also open to other places as I continue my research.

What do you all think?

Thanks

[El_Waiboi]

That's over twice what I make and I feel I live pretty comfortably... But I'm sure there are some people here who would turn their nose up at $72k. It's all in the eye of the beholder I guess...

[Goober13]

Yes, for Phoenix standards it is of course relative to how large a cut you had to take to come here. Hopefully it wasn't a dramatic cut, just enough to reflect the cost of living differential

Housing, transportation, and groceries won't be nearly as high as NYC.

[EdJones]

Thanks for your quick responses.

The salary cut was high enough to make grawl , but things are so expensive here in NYC that you have to those numbers with a grain of salt A "high" salary here doesn't mean much when you easily pay over 2 grand in rent for a small apartment Car insurance is really high because of the snow, they tax the hell out of everything, etc.

I am very excited about moving to AZ, but am also anxious about this "relative" language when it comes to comparing cost of living. So far I've that housing is certainly cheaper in the Phoenix area but it seems like everything is not that much cheaper after all.

[DetroitN8V]

It really depends on what you do, how much debt you have and what you're looking for in terms of housing. You can live comfortably on that here if you don't go overboard. You won't be rubbing elbows with high society nor will you be on food stamps. You can have a nice, modest lifestyle, a small house or decent apartment easily though.

[fr8train]

Estimated per capita income in 2009: $23,195
Estimated median household income in 2009: $49,446

https://www.city-data.com/city/Mesa-Arizona.html

[Goober13]

If you figure on getting an apartment that is probably larger than you live in now for maybe $800 for a 1 bedroom, utilities are higher in the summer, but the winter can offset some of that,and groceries will be cheaper. There are Super Wal-Marts here everywhere, and the grocery stores for the most part don't upcharge like they do in cities like New York and San Francisco. Groceries you buy here for $100 at a lower priced grocery store would be about $130.00 there.

Our sales taxes are outrageous here. 9.3% in Phoenix, 9.1% in Mesa and Peoria, 10.2% in Glendale. The lowest is 8.8% in Chandler and 8.95% in Scottsdale. Phoenix and a few other cities have a 2% food tax.

The cheapest gas at the time of this posting is about $3.63 a gallon at Arco stations, avoid buying gas in Scottsdale it is on average .10-.15 more a gallon. You won't have to take cabs, a tank, or a tank and 1/2 of gas should last you a week here.

Where you have to shop more traditional stores there like Walgreens for drugs and sundries (unless you go to Costco or Target) we buy those types of items at Wal-Mart, Target which are substantially cheaper.

Of course clothing is the same price everywhere for like items and brands. Nightlife and drink prices vary based on where you go.

You should be ok as long as you don't try to overdo it on housing.

[sunluv]

You say you've been here 5 times, and are still unable to figure this out. Maybe this thread is just to say you're making whatever.

1 visited Phoenix from NYC a whole once before moving here, and it was already apparent, as it would be for any city, what the general cost of living was from wandering around, driving and from looking online at apt./house prices.

Fugedaboudit, this is silly. You already know.

[cacto]

Yes

[azriverfan.]

75K in Phoenix is equivalent to 170K in Manhattan, 142K in Brooklyn and 120K in Queens

Were you earning 120K, 142K or 170K in New York?
Cost of Living Calculator: Compare the Cost of Living in Two Cities - CNNMoney

Nearly everything is cheaper here: renting, owning a home, gas, utilities, healthcare, shopping, grocery, dining, movies, you name it. 72K is fine for Phoenix.

Unless you were making well into the 6 figures in NYC, your standard of living will be much higher here hence the reason so many people from the East Coast move here. This is why Phoenix is one of the fastest growing cities in the country was ranked 1st or 2nd for fastest growing for nearly a decade.