Surprise, AZ Cost Of Living

Surprise cost of living index

In the event that the cost of living data was unavailable for this city, estimates based upon nearby cities were used. Each cost of living index is based on a national average of 100. If the amount is below 100, it is lower than the national average. If the amount is above 100, it is higher than the national average.
Index	Surprise	Arizona	National
Cost of living index	106	98	100
Index	Surprise	Arizona	National
Goods & Services index	98	98	100
Groceries index	102	101	100
Health care index	84	97	100
Housing index	113	97	100
Transportation index	109	100	100
Utilities index	127	99	100

The above illustration supplies generalized information for the Surprise, AZ cost of living index. Compared to other cities in Arizona and cities across the country, the cost of living index in Surprise, AZ is 106, which is 8% higher than the Arizona average and 6% higher than that for the entire country. The index is comprised of the following criteria: cost of retail goods and services (33%), groceries (13%), health care (5%), housing (30%), cost of public/private transportation (9%) and utilities (10%). Everyday goods and services, along with housing account for 63 percent of the total cost of living index. Goods and services that are a necessity regardless of location provide an accurate general sense of the cost of living in one city versus another. As seen above, the cost of retail goods and services in Surprise, AZ are equal to the average for Arizona and 2% lower than the rest of the country.

Did you know?

The cost of living in Surprise is 8% higher than the Arizona average.
The cost of living in Surprise is 6% higher than the national average.
The cost of housing in Surprise is 13% higher than the national average.
Arizona general sales tax is 10% higher than the national average.
Arizona state income tax is 16% higher than the national average.

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Compare Surprise, AZ Cost of living To Other Cities

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Price difference in compared to

Cost of living index
Goods & Services index
Groceries index
Health care index
Housing index
Transportation index
Utilities index

The salary calculator allows you to compare how much your current salary in Surprise, AZ would be worth in another city. In other words, the salary calculator will adjust the figure you enter for cost of living so that you can determine how much more or much less you would need to earn while maintaining your current quality of living. If you are considering relocating to a more expensive city than Surprise, AZ, the calculator will tell you how much more you need to earn so you can assess job offers more accurately. The Surprise, AZ salary calculator is easy to use. All you do is enter the name of another city, then move the slider to your current income. After that, the salary calculator will crunch the numbers for you and give you the information you need about the place you are considering going. Additionally, it will show a detailed breakdown of the cost of living.

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

Median Income	Per Year	Per Month	Max Budget (28% DTI)	Max Budget (36% DTI)
Owners	$65,515	$5,460	$1,529	$1,966
Renters	$51,254	$4,271	$1,196	$1,538

The affordability of the housing market in Surprise, AZ as well as the overall cost of living can be indicated accurately by what percent of the monthly income is spent on housing related costs. This is konwn as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). The overall rule of thumb is that no more than 28% of your gross income should ever be used on the overall costs related to housing and no more than 36% of gross income on all expenses and debts. Among Surprise, AZ homeowners, the median income is $65,515. This indicates that a monthly maximum of $1,529 should be spent by homeowners on all housing related costs. Renters have a median income of $51,254. This indicates that renters should have a maximum of $1,196 used for their rent related monthly costs.

Arizona Sales Tax

State	General Sales Tax	With Max Surtax
Arizona	5.6%	10.725%

Arizona Income Tax

State	Income Tax (Low)	Income Tax (High)
Arizona	2.59%	4.54%

The Arizona sales tax and Arizona income tax rates should definitely be considered when determining the overall cost of living in Surprise, AZ. Sales taxes are taxes that are imposed onto goods and services sold. Sales taxes do vary by state and can range from no tax at all to upwards of 7%. The Arizona sales tax is 5.6% and the maximum surtax is 10.725%. Income tax is the tax imposed on income by the government. The income tax rates will vary by state and will also increase or decrease depending on the corresponding tax bracket. State income tax rates can range from anywhere from no tax at all to more than 9%. The Arizona income tax rates range from 2.59% to 4.54%.

Goods & Services

Item	Surprise	National avg.	Difference
Haircut	$17.76	$16.09	10.4%
Beauty Salon	$45.74	$37.33	22.5%
Toothpaste	$1.89	$2.45	22.9%
Shampoo	$1.00	$1.00	0.2%
Movie	$10.37	$10.28	0.8%
Bowling	$4.51	$4.93	8.5%

Groceries

Item	Surprise	National avg.	Difference
Ground Beef	$3.20	$3.80	15.8%
Fried Chicken	$1.68	$1.40	20.3%
Milk	$1.75	$2.01	13.0%
Potatoes	$4.43	$3.01	47.1%
Pizza	$10.93	$9.89	10.6%
Beer	$9.11	$8.90	2.4%

Health Care

Item	Surprise	National avg.	Difference
Optometrist	$84.79	$102.16	17.0%
Doctor	$93.78	$108.36	13.5%
Dentist	$65.86	$92.53	28.8%
Ibuprofen	$9.49	$9.28	2.3%
Lipitor	$402.92	$425.82	5.4%

Housing

Item	Surprise	National avg.	Difference
Home Price	$197,600.00	$184,700.00	7.0%
Avg. Mortgage Payment	$1,023.15	$1,202.44	14.9%
Apartment Rent	$1,199.00	$949.00	26.3%

Transportation

Item	Surprise	National avg.	Difference
Gasoline	$2.28	$2.24	1.6%
Tire Balancing	$56.97	$46.29	23.1%

Utilities

Item	Surprise	National avg.	Difference
All Electricity	$291.55	$165.96	75.7%
Phone	$20.17	$28.68	29.7%

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Wittmann, AZ	361	103	3%
Goodyear Village, AZ	253	92	-8%
Youngtown, AZ	6,563	95	-5%
Sun City, AZ	39,363	95	-5%
El Mirage, AZ	33,937	97	-3%
Surprise, AZ	127,492	106	6%

Cities with similar population

City, State	Population	Cost of Living Index	National Avg.
Topeka, KS	127,472	88	-12%
Stamford, CT	127,410	155	55%
Coral Springs, FL	127,673	119	19%
Elizabeth, NJ	128,042	118	18%
Concord, CA	126,938	147	47%
Surprise, AZ	127,492	106	6%

Source: The Surprise, AZ cost of living data displayed above is derived from the Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) for 2017.

Surprise, AZ Cost of Living