State comparison
Arizona vs Washington: which state is better to live in?
Arizona costs a median household about $1,000 a year less in state and local taxes than Washington, mostly because property tax on a median home runs $2,142 a year against $4,788 in Washington.
Arizona
Moderate tax burden · COL index 102
Wins 7 categories
Washington
Moderate tax burden · COL index 117
Wins 9 categories
Taxes: Arizona vs Washington
Arizona has a flat 2.5% income tax, which works out to 2.5% on a median income of $74,580, or $1,865 a year. Washington has no state income tax. Washington wins on income tax at 2026 rates.
Property tax is 0.51% of home value a year in Arizona and 0.84% in Washington (Tax Foundation, 2023); on each state's median home that is $2,142 against $4,788, so Arizona has the lower rate.
Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37% in Arizona and 9.38% in Washington; Arizona is lower.
Add it up for a household earning $74,580 (the 2022 national median) and owning the median home: $5,879 a year in Arizona, $6,887 in Washington. Arizona is cheaper on total state and local tax.
Housing and cost of living
Arizona's cost of living index is 102 and Washington's is 117, where 100 is the national average; Arizona is about 15% cheaper day to day.
The median home costs $420K in Arizona and $570K in Washington (Zillow, 2024), a $150K gap in Arizona's favor. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,600 a month in Arizona and $2,000 in Washington.
Home insurance averages $1,850 a year in Arizona and $900 in Washington, so Washington is cheaper to insure.
Safety
Violent crime runs 474 incidents per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 347 in Washington (FBI Crime Data Explorer, 2023); Washington is the safer state by that measure, with a rate 37% lower. Property crime is 2,624 per 100,000 in Arizona against 3,187 in Washington, again favoring Arizona.
Health
Life expectancy is 76.3 years in Arizona and 79.3 in Washington (County Health Rankings, 2024), a 3.0-year edge for Washington. The Commonwealth Fund's 2023 scorecard ranks Arizona's health system 34th of 50 and Washington's 10th, so Washington scores better on care.
10.8% of Arizona residents have no health insurance against 6.5% in Washington, which favors Washington. Both states expanded Medicaid.
Schools
Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona's K-12 schools 45th in the country and Washington's 7th, 38 places apart in Washington's favor. Arizona runs a school-choice voucher program; Washington does not.
Laws and politics
In the 2024 presidential election Arizona went to Trump by 5 points and Washington went to Harris by 16 points.
Arizona has permitless carry and a Giffords gun-law grade of F; Washington has shall-issue carry permits and a grade of A, so Washington regulates guns more tightly and Arizona is the friendlier state for gun owners.
Abortion is banned with narrow exceptions in Arizona and protected by state law in Washington, and marijuana is legal for adults in both as of 2026. The minimum wage is $14.35 an hour in Arizona and $16.28 in Washington.
Climate and risk
Natural disaster risk is moderate in Arizona (wildfire, extreme-heat, drought) and high in Washington (wildfire, earthquake, flood), so Arizona is the lower-risk state. Annual average air quality index is 46 in Arizona and 40 in Washington (under 50 is good), favoring Washington.
Tax figures use a household earning the national median income and owning each state's median home, at tax year 2026 rates, last checked against state sources on 2026-09-14. The table below has every number.
Taxes
Housing & Cost of Living
Crime & Safety
Healthcare
Education
Childcare
Utilities & Daily Costs
Social Policy
Category wins
7
Arizona
9
Washington
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Score For My Profile →Questions people ask
Is Arizona or Washington better to live in?
It depends on what you weigh most. Arizona on taxes ($5,879 a year for a median household against $6,887); Arizona on everyday costs (index 102 against 117); Washington on safety (347 violent crimes per 100,000 against 474); Washington on schools (ranked 7th against 45th).
Which is cheaper, Arizona or Washington?
Arizona is cheaper day to day: cost of living index 102 against 117. The median home is $420K in Arizona and $570K in Washington (2024). On state and local taxes Arizona saves a median household about $1,000 a year.
Does Arizona or Washington have lower taxes?
Arizona. A household earning $74,580 pays about $5,879 a year in Arizona ($1,865 income tax, $2,142 property tax on the median home and $1,873 in sales tax) and $6,887 in Washington ($0 income tax, $4,788 property tax on the median home and $2,099 in sales tax), at 2026 rates.
Which is safer, Arizona or Washington?
Washington, on the FBI's 2023 figures. Violent crime is 474 per 100,000 residents in Arizona and 347 in Washington; property crime is 2,624 against 3,187.
Which has better schools, Arizona or Washington?
Washington. Education Week's 2023 Quality Counts report ranks Arizona 45th of 50 for K-12 and Washington 7th. Arizona also offers school-choice vouchers.
Is Arizona or Washington better for retirees?
Both treat retirement income about the same. Arizona does not tax Social Security, partly exempts pensions and has no estate or inheritance tax; Washington does not tax Social Security, exempts pensions and has an estate tax. Property tax on a median home is $2,142 a year in Arizona and $4,788 in Washington.