Spokane-Spokane Valley Tucson

Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources

Should you move?

Moving from Spokane-Spokane Valley to Tucson is neutral, depends on priorities: BEA regional price parity goes from 100.3 to 96.9 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent falls by $129/mo.

-$8,215
BLS median salary lower in Tucson
329 to 429
violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
17.6:1 to 17:1
NCES student-teacher ratio
$4,686
DOL infant care lower / yr in Tucson

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
Neutral, depends on priorities
Cost Index: 100.3 → 96.9
Rent Delta: -$129/mo

Pros of Moving

  • + 3% lower cost of living
  • + $129/mo cheaper rent (2BR)
  • + More affordable childcare

Cons of Moving

  • - $8K lower median salary
  • - Higher violent crime rate
  • - More environmental violations

Purchasing power stays near-even: BEA RPP moves only from 100.3 to 96.9 (ratio 0.97), inside a ±5% band. HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent drops $129/mo ($1,548/yr) from $1,531 in Spokane-Spokane Valley to $1,402 in Tucson.

The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 3 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Tucson sits #310 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Spokane-Spokane Valley is #298/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Neutral, depends on priorities. Override it with the dimension table below.

BLS OEWS median salary moves $8,215 lower ($74,608 → $66,393). Labor-market size: 246,430 tracked jobs at origin vs 375,520 at destination.

State retirement friendliness favors the destination: Arizona scores 53 (D, #37/51) vs Washington at 38 (F, #51/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.

Dimension
Spokane-Spokane Valley
Tucson
Winner
Cost of Living
RPP 100.3
RPP 96.9
Tucson
Rent (2BR)
$1,531/mo
$1,402/mo
Tucson
Wages
$74,608
$66,393
Spokane-Spokane Valley
Crime
329 per 100K
429 per 100K
Spokane-Spokane Valley
Schools
17.6:1
17:1
Tucson
Childcare
$15,987/yr
$11,301/yr
Tucson
Environment
2879 violations
5259 violations
Spokane-Spokane Valley

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 · Washington
38 F #51/51
Income tax
63
Property tax
63
Estate tax
50
Healthcare
18
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 Spokane-Spokane Valley to see what you'd need to earn in Tucson to maintain the same purchasing power.

Equivalent salary in Tucson
-

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