Overall
Texas feels cheaper overall
Texas has the lower cost-of-living index, beating Arizona by 8.8 points on the overall affordability baseline.
View detailed comparison
Cost of Living Comparison
Quality of Life
Arizona vs Texas: Cost of Living
Texas is cheaper overall by 8.8 cost-of-living points, but Texas has no state income tax, but Texas has lower median home values.
Arizona
AZ • West
103.1
Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Texas
TX • South
94.3
Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Visual Comparison
Arizona
103.1
Texas
94.3
Difference: 8.8 points — Texas leads.
Overview
A fast-reading view of the tradeoffs behind the raw cost numbers.
Living Costs
Housing
pay about 1.1x more for a home
Texas has the lower median home value, while buying in Arizona costs materially more at the median.
View detailed comparisonRent Pressure
Arizona puts less pressure on a median paycheck
Median rent takes a smaller share of household income in Arizona than in Texas, which makes monthly budgeting easier.
View detailed comparisonTaxes
Texas has no state income tax
Texas gives residents a cleaner paycheck-level tax advantage, while Arizona still taxes income at the state level.
View detailed comparisonCost Stack
Arizona
Overall 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 with mortgage
-
Owner costs without mortgage
-
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
$15.15/hr
Laws
Gun laws
Permissive
Alcohol system
License State
Marijuana status
Legal
Texas
Overall Affordability
Cost of living index
94.3
Regional price parity
97.2
Regular gas price
$3.824/gal
Electricity price
15.69 c/kWh
Housing
Median gross rent
$1,232/mo
Median home value
$294,400
Owner costs with mortgage
-
Owner costs without mortgage
-
Taxes
State income tax
None (0%)
State sales tax
6.25%
Property tax
1.49%
Income
Median household income
$66,963
Income after median rent
$4,348
Minimum wage
$7.25/hr
Laws
Gun laws
Permissive
Alcohol system
License State
Marijuana status
Medical
What Stands Out
- Texas has lower median home values.
- Texas has no state income tax.
- Texas has the lower overall cost index.
- Arizona has the higher median household income.
Affordability Ratios
Related Pages
What This Means
Arizona vs Texas: Cost of Living in context
Texas has a cost of living of 94.3, compared with 103.1 in Arizona. Composite cost of living index (100 = national average). Lower = more affordable.
Arizona
103.1
Texas
94.3
Difference
8.8 points
People Also Ask
Arizona vs Texas Cost of Living — Common Questions
Q What is Arizona's cost of living?
Arizona's cost of living is 103.1.
Q What is Texas's cost of living?
Texas's cost of living is 94.3.
Q Which state has a lower cost of living — Arizona or Texas?
Texas is cheaper overall by 8.8 cost-of-living points, but Texas has no state income tax, but Texas has lower median home values.
More Comparisons: Arizona vs Texas
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Sources: Core demographic data comes from the 2020 U.S. Census, with land area from U.S. Census Bureau TIGER files. Income, housing, affordability, and tax fields are maintained in our comparison dataset, with minimum wage data from the U.S. Department of Labor, gas prices from AAA, and electricity rates from the U.S. Energy Information Administration. Political control and election fields use 2024 presidential results together with National Conference of State Legislatures data. Gun-law labels use the Giffords scorecard, alcohol system data comes from NABCA, and marijuana status uses NCSL's state cannabis laws tracker.