2026 Relocation & Cost Arbitrage Engine

Relocation: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Tucson, AZ

Data updated · Sources: HUD FY 2027 Fair Market Rents, EPI 2026 Family Budget, 2026 tax tables · Methodology

Income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs for a move from Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Tucson, AZ.

Popular Corridors:
Equivalent Salary
$59,400
To maintain parity
Cost of Living Delta
-40.6%
Overall expenditure basket
Annual Tax Delta
+$2,683
State + local taxes
Annual 1BR Rent Delta
-$17,112
HUD Fair Market Rents
Net Annual Buffer
+$19,795/yr
Tax + housing gain

Interactive Purchasing Power Equivalency Workbench

Adjust your current salary at origin to dynamically compute the statutory tax burden, housing costs, and discretionary cash in both markets.

Presets:
$
$30,000 $100,000 $200,000 $300,000
Origin Location

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH

COL 162.7
Gross Annual Income $100,000
Federal Income Tax -$13,170
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$7,650
State Income Tax -$4,780
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $74,400
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$30,216
Discretionary Cash Flow $44,184
Target Market
Destination Location

Tucson, AZ

COL 96.6
Gross Parity Income $59,400
Federal Income Tax -$4,948
FICA (SS & Medicare) -$4,544
State Income Tax -$1,083
Local / City Tax $0
Net Annual Take-Home $48,825
HUD 1BR Fair Market Rent -$13,104
Discretionary Cash Flow $35,721

EPI family budgets put living costs 40.6% lower in Tucson, AZ than in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, so $100,000 in Boston goes about as far as $59,400 in Tucson. HUD's one-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $2,518 a month in Boston and $1,092 in Tucson, $17,112 a year less. On the same $100,000 salary a single filer pays $2,683 less a year in federal, state and local income tax and FICA in Tucson. Taxes and one-bedroom rent together leave you about $19,795 a year better off. The BLS median wage across all occupations is $66,620 in Boston and $47,760 in Tucson.

Itemized Cost of Living Expenditure Arbitrage

Category-by-category breakdown of monthly baseline consumption between origin and destination.

Expenditure Category Boston-Cambridge-Newton (Monthly) Tucson (Monthly) Monthly Delta ($) Difference (%)
Housing (1BR Fair Market Rent)$2,518$1,092-$1,426-56.6%
Food & Groceries$418$338-$80-19.1%
Transportation$1,080$1,004-$76-7.0%
Healthcare$413$385-$28-6.8%
Other Necessities$832$397-$435-52.3%
Total Taxes (Federal, State, Local, FICA)$2,133$1,910-$223-10.5%

HUD Fair Market Rent Differential

1-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,426/mo (-56.6%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $2,518/mo Tucson: $1,092/mo
2-Bedroom Fair Market Rent -$1,603/mo (-53.3%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $3,008/mo Tucson: $1,405/mo

EPI Living Wage Benchmark Comparison

1 Adult (No Children) -$14.61/hr (-40.6%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $35.97/hr Tucson: $21.36/hr
2 Adults + 1 Child (per earner) -$11.32/hr (-36.0%)
Boston-Cambridge-Newton: $31.43/hr Tucson: $20.11/hr

Top Local Occupations Wage Parity

BLS median wage comparisons across benchmark roles between both metropolitan labor markets.

Occupation Title Industry Sector Boston-Cambridge-Newton Median Tucson Median Nominal Wage Delta Action
General and Operations ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$133,800$83,610-$50,190 (-37.5%)View Dossier
Registered Nurse (RN)HealthcareHealthcare$106,180$94,110-$12,070 (-11.4%)View Dossier
Software EngineerTechnologyTechnology$166,090$123,710-$42,380 (-25.5%)View Dossier
Accountant & AuditorFinanceFinance$100,150$76,320-$23,830 (-23.8%)View Dossier
Management AnalystBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$135,640$84,900-$50,740 (-37.4%)View Dossier
Financial ManagerFinanceFinance$209,780$126,170-$83,610 (-39.9%)View Dossier
Computer and Information Systems ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$214,960$151,520-$63,440 (-29.5%)View Dossier
Project Management SpecialistBusiness OperationsBusiness Operations$114,990$91,500-$23,490 (-20.4%)View Dossier
ElectricianSkilled TradesSkilled Trades$79,910$59,480-$20,430 (-25.6%)View Dossier
Medical and Health Services ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$136,760$123,760-$13,000 (-9.5%)View Dossier
Financial AnalystFinanceFinance$117,520$83,810-$33,710 (-28.7%)View Dossier
Sales ManagersFinance & ManagementFinance & Management$206,610$138,880-$67,730 (-32.8%)View Dossier

Major US Inter-Metro Relocation Corridors

Empirical cost differentials and statutory tax savings across high-volume migration routes.

New York-Newark-Jersey City → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $14,388 less 1BR rent a year

-30.6% COL+$22,689/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos

On $100k: $6,211 less tax and $17,676 less 1BR rent a year

-30.4% COL+$23,887/yr
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin → Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington

On $100k: $4,805 less tax and $2,928 less 1BR rent a year

-2.2% COL+$7,733/yr
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont → Columbus

On $100k: $1,729 less tax and $19,884 less 1BR rent a year

-41.0% COL+$21,613/yr
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim → Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler

On $100k: $4,113 less tax and $10,908 less 1BR rent a year

-13.5% COL+$15,021/yr
Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue → Denver-Aurora-Centennial

On $100k: $3,761 more tax and $4,188 less 1BR rent a year

-13.6% COL+$427/yr
Boston-Cambridge-Newton → Raleigh-Cary

On $100k: $1,299 less tax and $11,592 less 1BR rent a year

-16.2% COL+$12,891/yr
New York-Newark-Jersey City → Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach

On $100k: $8,301 less tax and $7,296 less 1BR rent a year

-27.3% COL+$15,597/yr

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Tucson, AZ Relocation FAQs

About $59,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 96.6 in Tucson, AZ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Triangular Relocation & Tax Silo

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Tucson, AZ: State Paychecks, Rents & Reciprocal Corridor

Reverse Route: Tucson, AZ to Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Relocation: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Tucson, AZ Overview

Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Tucson, AZ: 2026 federal, state and local income tax, HUD Fair Market Rents and EPI living costs compared on the same salary. Official 2026 economic data for Relocation: Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH to Tucson, AZ compiled from Bureau of Labor Statistics OEWS surveys, HUD Fair Market Rents, and statutory tax codes.

Quick answers
How much salary do I need in Tucson, AZ to match $100,000 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

About $59,400. That scales $100,000 by the ratio of the metros' cost-of-living indexes (162.7 in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH, 96.6 in Tucson, AZ, from EPI family budgets); taxes are compared separately below.

Is Tucson, AZ cheaper than Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH?

EPI's family budgets for a single adult put overall living costs 40.6% lower in Tucson, AZ than in Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH. The budgets cover housing, food, transportation, health care and other necessities.