Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler → Prescott Valley-Prescott
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to Prescott Valley-Prescott is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 103.3 to 98.3 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $202/mo.
- -$11,719
- BLS median salary lower in Prescott Valley-Prescott
- 429 to 429
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 17:1 to 17:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
- $0
- DOL infant care higher / yr in Prescott Valley-Prescott
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.
Pros of Moving
- + 5% lower cost of living
- + $202/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
Cons of Moving
- - $12K lower median salary
Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 103.3 to 98.3 (ratio 0.95), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $202/mo ($2,424/yr) from $1,839 in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to $1,637 in Prescott Valley-Prescott.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (2 destination wins · 1 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Prescott Valley-Prescott sits #345 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is #357/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $11,719 lower ($73,543 → $61,824). Labor-market size: 2,342,930 tracked jobs at origin vs 65,740 at destination.
Both metros sit in Arizona: state retirement score 53 (D, #37/51) - tax posture does not change with this move. Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to see what you'd need to earn in Prescott Valley-Prescott to maintain the same purchasing power.
Prescott Valley-Prescott metro profile · Livability rankings · Methodology
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