Middlesex County, MA vs Pima County, AZ: Cost of Living Difference

Is it cheaper?

Pima County, AZ is cheaper than Middlesex County, MA.

Moving to Pima County, AZ is estimated to save $34,261 per year.

Cheaper cost of living

Cheaper County

Pima County, AZSave about $34,261 per year.

Salary needed

$50,000 in Middlesex County, MA is about $28,230 in Pima County, AZ.

Biggest drivers

No measured category is higher in Pima County, AZ. Housing saves $15,592 per year.

Housing: $15,592 lower in Pima County, AZ

Taxes: $11,626 lower in Pima County, AZ

Childcare: about the same in both counties

Healthcare: $341 lower in Pima County, AZ

Food: $1,004 lower in Pima County, AZ

Transport: $545 lower in Pima County, AZ

Middlesex County, MAPima County, AZ
Equivalent salary in Pima County, AZ
$28,230
-43.54% lower
Current salary: $50,000
Household: 1 adult · 0 children
Median Income in Middlesex County, MA: $160,640
Median Income in Pima County, AZ: $87,639
Living Index in Middlesex County, MA 48.98%
Living Index in Pima County, AZ 50.69%

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Middlesex County, MA to Pima County, AZ.

* Living index is estimated as (estimated total cost / area median income) * 100. A living index above 100% means modeled costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary

Moving from Middlesex County, MA to Pima County, AZ is estimated to save $34,261 per year. A $50,000 salary in Middlesex County, MA would have similar purchasing power to about $28,230 in Pima County, AZ. The largest savings come from housing and taxes.

This is a 43.54% decrease in modeled annual costs. Housing is $15,592 per year lower (58%); Taxes is $11,626 per year lower (60.32%).

Below we break down the annual categories behind the difference using Economic Policy Institute 2026 Family Budget data.

What changed the most?

The following cards show the annual category differences that most affect the move to Pima County, AZ.

Biggest Cost
Largest annual cost increase when moving to Pima County, AZ
Annual Increase:

No increase

No measured category is higher in Pima County, AZ.

Biggest Savings
Largest annual savings when moving to Pima County, AZ
Annual Savings:

$15,592 per year

HOUSING has the largest annual savings when moving to Pima County, AZ.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

CategoryDifference
Housing-58.00% lower
Food-19.87% lower
Transport-4.33% lower
Healthcare-6.88% lower
Other Costs-51.97% lower
Childcare0.00% higher
Taxes-60.32% lower

In Pima County, AZ, modeled annual costs are $44,420 compared with $78,681 in Middlesex County, MA.

Overall, annual costs are lower in Pima County, AZ. The category breakdown above shows where the move creates the most room in the budget.

In this case Pima County, AZ and Middlesex County, MA are both metropolitan locations.

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How WatchPennies calculates salary needed
Middlesex, MA vs Pima, AZ Cost Difference