Auburn vs Phoenix
The short version
- Phoenix is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Auburn area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $420,700 in Phoenix and $547,900 in Auburn.
- Households earn more in Auburn ($97,884 vs $81,332 median).
- Phoenix has the warmer winter: January highs of 68°F vs 48°F.
- Phoenix has more scorching days: 173 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 4.
- Phoenix is growing faster: +3.6% since 2020 vs -2.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Phoenix (26 vs 31 minutes each way).
- Washington has no state income tax on wages; Arizona's top rate is 2.5%.
Side by side
| Auburn, WA | Phoenix, AZ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 86,301 | 1,665,481 |
| Growth since 2020 | -2.4% | +3.6% |
| People per square mile | 2,918 | 3,213 |
| Median age | 36.0 | 34.9 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 26% | 34% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $97,884 | $81,332 |
| Median home value | $547,900 | $420,700 |
| Home value to income | 5.6× | 5.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,786 | $1,582 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 111.1 | 103.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 151.3 | 121.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $83,300 | $77,500 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 57% |
| Top state income tax | None | 2.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 9.57% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 30.5 | 25.6 |
| Work from home | 14% | 19% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 5% |
| Poverty rate | 8.9% | 13.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 48° / 38° | 68° / 46° |
| July high / low | 77° / 57° | 107° / 85° |
| Precipitation per year | 39 in | 7 in |
| Snowfall per year | 6 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 4 | 173 |
| Nights below freezing | 25 | 1 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 6 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.7 | 99.9 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 56% | 7% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.3% | +0.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +24.6% | +35.8% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Auburn: May to September. Phoenix: November to April.
Full monthly tables: Auburn weather by month and Phoenix weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $83,300 in Auburn and $77,500 in Phoenix. Moving from Auburn to Phoenix, you would need about $69,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Auburn and Phoenix
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Auburn and Phoenix.
Which would you pick?
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