Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 114.2 to 103.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $494/mo.

+$5,218
BLS median salary higher in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
210 to 429
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.8:1 to 17.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$796
DOL infant care higher / yr in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.

Verdict
Favorable
Cost Index: 114.2 → 103.3
Rent Delta: -$494/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 11% lower cost of living
  • + $494/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + $5K higher median salary

Cons of Moving

  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power opens up: BEA RPP falls from 114.2 to 103.3, so each dollar covers more in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler (ratio 0.91). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $494/mo ($5,928/yr) from $2,333 in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to $1,839 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler sits #357 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach is #361/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,218 higher ($68,325 → $73,543). Labor-market size: 2,720,630 tracked jobs at origin vs 2,342,930 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Florida scores 62 (C, #23/51) vs Arizona at 53 (D, #37/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 114.2
RPP 103.3
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Rent (2BR)
$2,333/mo
$1,839/mo
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Wages
$68,325
$73,543
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Crime
210 per 100K
429 per 100K
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Schools
17.8:1
17.2:1
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Childcare
$10,505/yr
$11,301/yr
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
Environment
2736 violations
5259 violations
Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

State retirement friendliness

Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.

Origin state · Florida
62 C #23/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
67
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
12
Destination state · Arizona
53 D #37/51
Income tax
82
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
22

Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).

Salary Adjustment Calculator

Enter your current salary in Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach to see what you'd need to earn in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026