Overall
Arizona feels cheaper overall
Arizona has the lower cost-of-living index, beating New York by 29.6 points on the overall affordability baseline.
See full data →
Quality of Life
Arizona vs New York: Cost of Living
Arizona is cheaper overall by 29.6 cost-of-living points, but Arizona has lower median home values.
National Rankings
Where They Rank Nationally
See where both states fall among all 50 states for cost of living.
Arizona
#29 · 103.1
New York
#47 · 132.7
Best
Worst
10 Best States — Cost of Living
Lower is better
#1
West Virginia
83.6
West Virginia
#2
Mississippi
85.5
Mississippi
#3
Arkansas
87.6
Arkansas
#4
Kentucky
88.0
Kentucky
#5
Alabama
88.6
Alabama
#6
Oklahoma
88.6
Oklahoma
#7
Missouri
90.0
Missouri
#8
Kansas
90.2
Kansas
#9
Iowa
91.0
Iowa
#10
Ohio
91.0
Ohio
Selected states
#29
Arizona
103.1
Arizona
#47
New York
132.7
New York
Arizona ranks 29th and New York ranks 47th nationally for cost of living.
Overview
Cost of Living in context
A fast-reading view of the tradeoffs behind the raw cost numbers.
Housing
pay about 1.1x more for a home
Arizona has the lower median home value, while buying in New York costs materially more at the median.
See full data →Rent Pressure
Arizona puts less pressure on a median paycheck
Median rent takes a smaller share of household income in Arizona than in New York, which makes monthly budgeting easier.
See full data →Taxes
Arizona keeps more income after state tax
Arizona has the lower top state income tax rate, which softens the total cost picture even when prices are close.
See full data →Cost stack
ArizonaOverall affordability
- Cost of living index
- 103.1
- Regional price parity
- 99.2
- Regular gas price
- $4.742/gal
- Electricity price
- 15.61 c/kWh
Housing
- Median gross rent
- $1,311/mo
- Median home value
- $327,400
- Owner costs w/ mortgage
- $1,893/mo
- Owner costs w/o mortgage
- $560/mo
Taxes
- State income tax
- 2.50%
- State sales tax
- 5.60%
- Property tax
- 0.48%
Income
- Median household income
- $72,581
- Income after median rent
- $4,737
- Minimum wage
- $14.35/hr
Laws
- Gun laws
- Permissive
- Alcohol system
- License State
- Marijuana status
- Legal
New YorkOverall affordability
- Cost of living index
- 132.7
- Regional price parity
- 114.8
- Regular gas price
- $4.069/gal
- Electricity price
- 28.37 c/kWh
Housing
- Median gross rent
- $1,578/mo
- Median home value
- $367,200
- Owner costs w/ mortgage
- $2,544/mo
- Owner costs w/o mortgage
- $980/mo
Taxes
- State income tax
- 10.90%
- State sales tax
- 4.00%
- Property tax
- 1.55%
Income
- Median household income
- $78,609
- Income after median rent
- $4,973
- Minimum wage
- $16.50/hr
Laws
- Gun laws
- Restrictive
- Alcohol system
- License State
- Marijuana status
- Legal
What stands out
- Arizona has lower median home values.
- Arizona has the lower overall cost index.
- New York has the higher median household income.
- Arizona looks more attainable on home value to income ratio.
Affordability ratios
Home value to income
Arizona: 4.51x
New York: 4.67x
Rent to income
Arizona: 21.7%
New York: 24.1%
Owner costs to income
Arizona: 16.6%
New York: 18.9%
Related pages
What this means
Arizona vs New York: Cost of Living in context
Arizona's cost of living is 103.1, compared with 132.7 in New York. Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Arizona
103.1
New York
132.7
Difference
29.6 points
People also ask
Arizona vs New York Cost of Living — common questions
QWhat is Arizona's cost of living?
Arizona's cost of living is 103.1.
QWhat is New York's cost of living?
New York's cost of living is 132.7.
QWhich state has a lower cost of living — Arizona or New York?
Arizona is cheaper overall by 29.6 cost-of-living points, but Arizona has lower median home values.
More comparisons: Arizona vs New York
Grouped tabs keep the deep-dive links tighter and easier to scan.
Explore each state
Data source and freshness
Data period
2026 incorporated quarterly release
Dataset reviewed
July 23, 2026
Method note
Composite index where 100 equals the national average.