Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is unfavorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 96.3 to 103.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $109/mo.

+$5,687
BLS median salary higher in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
602 to 429
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
15.2:1 to 17.2:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$3,441
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
Unfavorable
Cost Index: 96.3 → 103.3
Rent Delta: +$109/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + $6K higher median salary
  • + Lower violent crime rate

Cons of Moving

  • - 7% higher cost of living
  • - $109/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
  • - Higher student-teacher ratios
  • - More expensive childcare
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 96.3 to 103.3, so the same paycheck buys less in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler (ratio 1.07). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $109/mo ($1,308/yr) from $1,730 in Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to $1,839 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler.

Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin still leads on 5 of 7 federal dimensions, the origin keeps the edge. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler sits #357 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin is #337/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Unfavorable. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $5,687 higher ($67,856 → $73,543). Labor-market size: 1,079,340 tracked jobs at origin vs 2,342,930 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors staying put: Tennessee scores 66 (C, #17/51) vs Arizona at 53 (D, #37/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 96.3
RPP 103.3
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Rent (2BR)
$1,730/mo
$1,839/mo
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Wages
$67,856
$73,543
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Crime
602 per 100K
429 per 100K
Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Schools
15.2:1
17.2:1
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Childcare
$7,860/yr
$11,301/yr
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin
Environment
1192 violations
5259 violations
Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin

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 · Tennessee
66 C #17/51
Income tax
100
Property tax
80
Estate tax
100
Healthcare
36
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 Nashville-Davidson--Murfreesboro--Franklin to see what you'd need to earn in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
-

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