Moving from Salt Lake City, UT to Phoenix, AZ
Salt Lake City to Phoenix is a move of about 641 miles. Median rent is $1,702 a month in Phoenix and $1,583 in Salt Lake City, and the median home is $440,900 against $515,400. State income tax is a flat 2.50% in Phoenix and a flat 4.50% in Salt Lake City. Property tax runs 0.44% of home value in Phoenix and 0.55% in Salt Lake City.
Moving to Phoenix costs
About the same
Salt Lake City and Phoenix work out within $50/mo of each other, renting on a $80,000 household income
Not your income? Run it on your own numbers
Worth knowing
State income tax is what separates these two cities
Of everything that changes when you move from Salt Lake City to Phoenix, state income tax moves the most: about $151 a month less, which is most of the whole difference.
Salt Lake City vs Phoenix at a glance
| Salt Lake City | Phoenix | |
|---|---|---|
| Median home value | $515,400 | $440,900 |
| Median rent | $1,583/mo | $1,702/mo |
| State income tax | Flat 4.50% | Flat 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.55% | 0.44% |
| Groceries, gas & goods | 96 | 95 |
| Utilities | 79 | 93 |
Price levels are indexes where 100 is the national average. They cover everyday spending only; housing is the two rows above.
Monthly cost of living: Salt Lake City vs Phoenix
| Monthly | Salt Lake | Phoenix | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | |||
| Housing (median rent) | $1,583 | $1,702 | +$119 |
| Taxes | |||
| State income taxBiggest factor | $300 | $149 | -$151 |
| Sales tax (on everyday spending) | $70 | $84 | +$14 |
| Everyday costs | |||
| Groceries, gas & goods | $1,768 | $1,742 | -$26 |
| Utilities | $323 | $381 | +$58 |
| Total | +$14 | ||
Cost to move from Salt Lake City to Phoenix
$1,800 to $4,200
From a container you load yourself up to full-service movers.
Shipping one car adds about $450 to $650, against roughly $200 in fuel and lodging to drive it the 2-day trip yourself.
Housing and everyday prices here are for the metro area. Income and sales tax are set by state law and have no metro equivalent, so those come from Utah and Arizona. Compare the whole states instead to see how each metro sits against the state it is in.
Run this with your own numbers
What jobs pay in Phoenix, after the cost of living
Estimates only, not advice. Housing and income figures come from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey (2024); price levels from the Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024); tax rates are for the 2026 tax year, compiled from state revenue departments and the Tax Foundation. Moving costs are modelled from published ranges rather than quoted. Housing and price figures are metro-area medians or averages; income and sales tax are statewide. Neither will match any particular household.