Washington vs Arizona
Your $100,000 in Washington is worth
$93,458
at national prices · RPP 107.0BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
The same income in Arizona is worth
$99,305
at national prices · RPP 100.7BEA RPP SARPPSource: BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 vintage · released February 2026 · Official API
Your income goes +$5,847 further in Arizona (+6.3% purchasing power).
Show the math
Where the difference comes from
Price level by component, 100 = US average. Higher means more expensive.
| Component | Washington | Arizona | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| All items | 107.0 | 100.7 | −5.9% |
| Housing rents | 126.0 | 106.8 | −15.2% |
| Goods | 104.4 | 95.4 | −8.6% |
| Utilities | 92.9 | 92.3 | −0.6% |
| Other services | 103.9 | 102.8 | −1.1% |
BEA Regional Price Parities · SARPP · 2024 · rel. February 2026 · Official API
Housing reality check
Typical rent and home price in each state — tangible context beyond the index.
US Census ACS 5-Year Estimates · ACS5 · 2024 · rel. December 2025 · Official API
Tax at a glance
Hand-curated, tax year 2026 · verified 2026-07-20
| Tax | Washington | Arizona |
|---|---|---|
| Income tax (top rate) | None | 2.50% |
| Sales tax (combined avg) | 9.51% | 8.52% |
Tax Foundation (income & sales) · Tax · 2026 · rel. tax year 2026 · Manually maintained · verified 2026-07-20
Washington vs Arizona: the read
The bottom line
Move a $100,000 income from Washington to Arizona and its purchasing power changes from $93,458 to $99,305 in national-average terms — a gain of $5,847. Arizona is the cheaper of the two, running at 100.7 on the price index versus 107.
Where the difference comes from
The widest gap is housing rents: Washington sits at 126 and Arizona at 106.8 (100 = national). Arizona has the edge there, and it's the main reason the two states diverge.
Housing
Median rent runs $1,760 in Washington against $1,543 in Arizona, and the typical home $564,600 versus $394,500. Arizona is the more affordable place to buy.
Taxes
On tax, Washington has no wage income tax and a combined sales tax of 9.51%; Arizona has 2.50% top income tax and 8.52%. Weigh both against the purchasing-power figure above.
Full profiles: Washington ·Arizona. Every figure here is sourced on the pages linked above.
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