Arizona and New Mexico at a glance
Moving between Arizona and New Mexico changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, Arizona leaves $25,298 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; New Mexico leaves $29,334.
New Mexico comes out ahead by $4,036 a year ($336 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 7,378,838 people in 15 counties in Arizona and 2,120,246 people in 33 counties in New Mexico.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. State income tax takes $1,125 in Arizona and $1,706 in New Mexico, which leaves take-home pay of $49,214 and $48,633.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $76,776 in Arizona and $75,278 in New Mexico, a difference of $1,498. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $1,361 a month in Arizona and $1,051 in New Mexico, so New Mexico is $311 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $2,387 and $1,860, and gasoline $1,759 and $1,397. Together the basics cost $23,916 a year in Arizona and $19,299 in New Mexico.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $79,964 in Arizona and $64,059 in New Mexico. Homeowners pay a median of $1,879 a year in property tax in Arizona and $1,731 in New Mexico. Commuters travel 25.4 minutes each way on average in Arizona and 23.5 in New Mexico.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.