You never know where life will take you and how you will get there but my job, and some divine intervention gave my wife and I an adventure we could have only imagined. My job has brought about some amazing opportunities, including: Working on some cool and challenging Engineering projects, a move from New Jersey to Florida early in my career, 20 great years in Florida both professionally and personally. In 2021 I was offered an opportunity to live in Tucson, AZ which was a vacation destination for my wife and I to hike and explore the Southwest for the previous six years.
I was excited but a bit reluctant as the move was a dream but I had an attachment to Florida and loved the neighborhood we lived in St Johns County, just South of Jacksonville, FL. My wife was all in and after negotiating relocation, and the job recruitment process I accepted the job in January 2022 and with a move to our dream house in Marana, AZ, just Northwest of Tucson, AZ in late March 2022. Our new home was on an acre of land with stunning views of the Santa Catalina, Tucson, and Rincon Mountains and only about 5 miles to the Saguaro National Park West. It was a hiking and outdoor Heaven. I worked from home with monthly drives to Southern (Riverside and Orange Counties) CA to attend meetings, visit construction sites and work with the team. I was blessed with some excellent team members that were in my work group.
Living in Tucson was a great experience, we lived in a great neighborhood, made a few, but very good friends and adjusted to the Arizona lifestyle. On January 1, 2024 I had a strong feeling that by the end of the year we would be back in Florida. I don’t know what it was, maybe it was living in a place we vacationed and wondering about when it would be time to return home to Florida, the separation form family, a dislike for flying or a combination of everything. In March 2024 my former office in Jacksonville reached out to me to provide some training in April and by the end of the trip we were working out a way for our return to Florida. In late April, I received the job offer which matched the deal we received to move West. My wife and I ended up buying a home about 10 miles North of St Augustine, FL, had our home in Marana, AZ under contract in early June and by the end of July my wife and I caravaned the drive across the country back to Florida. What a whirlwind and amazing course of events.
I am extremely grateful for the opportunity but am happy to be back in Florida. My wife is happy to be back in Florida but has a love for Arizona. We will certainly return to Tucson to vacation and see our friends but who knows what the future holds. I could go into great details and write a book of our adventures in Tucson, but I wanted to focus this blog on comparing both states and which one I prefer. I focused on a few categories including: Taxes, Insurance, Food, Political landscape, lifestyle, gas, utilities as these all impact our lives.
Taxes:
–AZ
–Income tax: 2.5 % flat tax (this was lowered from a graduated tax in 2022) with standard deduction like Federal standard deduction. 401k and health care are not deducted. Capital gains, dividends and interest are taxed.
–Sales tax: AZ base sales tax is 5.6 % but nearly every County adds to this. Pima County Sales tax was around 8 %. Groceries are taxes and sales tax can vary within the County as local towns may have additional tax.
–Property taxes are generally between .6 % and 1.1% of the assessed value of your home. It is complicated but tax is assessed on the average value of the homes in your neighborhood, zip code. There are no homestead deductions.
–AZ passed a law in 2022 that additional statewide income tax increase must be approved by 60 % majority vote.
–FL
–Income tax: No tax on income, dividends, interest capital gains etc.
–Sales tax: FL sales tax is 6%, Individual Counties may add %. St Johns County votes added additional .5 % for schools and public safety.
–Property taxes: Mileage rate is set by individual County. In St Johns County, FL, the mileage rate is about 1.2% depending on the area of the County. Some developments have a 30 year Community Development District (CDD) fee that is added which pay for the infrastructure, schools, roads etc. This can range from $800/year to over $3,000/year
–FL also has the law that 60% majority vote is required to approve an income tax.
Car Registration:
AZ:
–AZ charges you an annual rate of about 1 % of the value of your car and then deducts about 12 % each year as the car ages. Vehicle emission inspection is required each year. Example $50,000 car will run you about $500 your first year and then decrease (you see a lot of older cars in AZ!)
–No toll roads in AZ.
–Freeways in Phoenix are in very good condition and are always getting upgraded.
–Freeways in Tucson are in rougher shape but a lot of upgrades are happening.
–A bit disappointing how much litter is along the freeways in Tucson.
–FL:
–Car registration is about $75 -$100/year. Not based on value of the car
–There are now express toll roads, showing up all over the state.
–FL’s Interstate highways are generally in good shape with a lot of construction to upgrade.
Lifestyle:
AZ:
–A Heaven for outdoor lifestyle: hiking, biking, running, boating/jet skiing, fishing on the lakes, exploring National Parks, Old West History, casinos, close proximity to San Diego, UT, CO and NM mountains and National Parks. Great Southwestern + Mexican food, culture, and awesome beef!
FL:
–A Heaven for outdoor lifestyle: hiking (preserves not much elevation), beach, swimming, boating, jet skiing, fishing, historic areas in St Augustine, Key West, Fernandina Beach, great inland FL day trips, including the Natural Springs, the small Towns on the lakes in Lake, Osceola, Okeechobee, Polk County, theme parks if you are into that and a generally relaxed vibe. Generally good food beyond the chain restaurants.
Politics:
AZ: A Conservative red state based on history, laws etc (AZ allows open carry guns) but is leaning bluer as the population grows. The State House and Senate became more conservative in the 2024 election, the Congressional Delegation was 6 Republicans to 3 Democrats and the State voted for Trump including Maricopa County (Phoenix metro). The current Governor and down ballot chain of Command (Secretary of State, Attorney General, Education etc) + both US Senators are more representative of New Jersey than Arizona. The split government probably saved some very bad legislation passed that would have impacted regular people. The next governor election is in 2026.
Tucson/Pima County is essentially a red donut with a blue hole in the center (Tucson) with the surrounding communities of Oro Valley, Marana, Vail and the Catalina Foothills red. The blue center dominates the political landscape at the local level in Pima County. County officials, the County Sheriff and State Representatives and the Mayor of Tucson drive the direction of the County while the local towns have their own police forces, elected officials etc. The water and electric utilities are quasi government agencies that are influenced by the local electorate. To put things in perspective, homelessness, homeless encampments, and fentanyl are big problems in Tucson and Phoenix. The current mayor of Tucson and City Council determined that planting 1-million trees in the desert City to control climate change is the most important use of taxpayer funds.
FL: “The Free State” is a conservative bastion that has become more red as the population has grown and more out of staters have relocated. Our great Governor has a Supermajority in the State House to support him. Our Congressional representation is majority Republican as well as both US Senators. “In God We Trust” is seen on many car license plates throughout the state. I think of FL as the opposite of CA in how the state is governed.
Food:
–AZ grocery prices are slightly higher than FL, slightly higher gas prices could contribute to this. Major grocery chains are Frye’s, Safeway, Albertsons, Aldi, Bashas, Walmart and Costco. Chain restaurant food is slightly higher as AZ’s minimum wage is higher than FL. Locally owned restaurants are noticeably more expensive.
–FL grocery stores are comparable to AZ and maybe slightly cheaper. Publix is the gold standard for supermarkets and although more expensive, the digital coupons and BOGO deals are very good. Other chains include: Winn Dixie, Aldi, Walmart, Costco.
Non-chain local restaurants are noticeably less expensive than AZ. FL does have a lower minimum wage.
Gas:
FL’s gas prices are about .15 to .30 less than AZ depending on the season. AZ does not have port access to fuel and gets much of their gas from TX and NM.
Insurance:
AZ: Homeowners and auto insurance are significantly less expensive than FL. There are less drivers in AZ and less natural disasters than in FL. Insurance throughout the U.S has risen across the board. When we moved from AZ back to FL, for like coverage and almost identical sale and purchase prices, my homeowners insurance went from $900 to $2200/year and my auto policy went from $1800 to $3600/year. Insurance is a significant expense.
Home prices:
Both states are very similar in prices with the coastal and waterfront homes in FL and the homes with the best views of the Mountains in AZ well into the $-millions. I sold our home in AZ and bought in FL for nearly the same price and increased square footage by about 400 sq ft. We lost the mountain views but found a very peaceful neighborhood with mature trees and homes on larger lots, no CDD fee about 15 minutes to the beach and not mapped into a FEMA flood zone. I did purchase flood insurance as a precaution.
Utilities:
–AZ, electricity in AZ is very expensive, especially in the Summer. For a single story 2,400 sq ft home, in June or July the highest electric bill I paid was $390. When you are cooling a house from an outside temperature of 105 to 110 degrees to 78 inside, your HVAC system is running all the time! At 10PM the outside temperature can still be 90 degrees in June, July and August. The local electric utility in Tucson is very big on alternate power and began purchasing wind power from New Mexico and is reflected in your utility bill. Solar power is an option to lease or purchase. I received an estimate of $37,000 for solar power for my house and chose not to go that route. I had city water and a septic tank. City water averaged about $40/month and septic tank needed to be pumped every two to three years which can run between $600- $800.
–FL, electricity is less expensive than in AZ. The maximum I have ever paid is about $180. There is a much bigger difference in cooling a house from an outside temperature of 90 degrees to 78 degrees. Water and sewer is about $60/month. I have a deep well for my irrigation which offsets costs for watering the lawn in the Summer months.
Climate:
–Both states have the hot months of June/July/August and most of September. It depends on whether you like dry heat or humid heat. I enjoy the heat but in Tucson, AZ once Memorial Day hits until the first or second week of October, expect high temps of 100-110 and overnight lows of around 80 degrees (Phoenix, AZ add about 5 to 10 degrees). There is no cold front that will drop the temperatures for a few days. The monsoon and microburst storms will provide some relief and can be as intense as a small hurricane.
FL has hot humid Summers with highs in the low 90s and low 70s overnight. Maybe it is because we live a bit closer to the coast but when we returned from AZ to FL the Summer heat, especially in the evenings, seemed a lot more tolerable.
Both states have awesome weather from mid-October to late May!
My preferred state:
–After living in FL for 20 years and living in AZ for 2 ½ years, I give the edge to FL as it just feels more like home and have attachment to Northeast, FL. Both states are great on so many levels and have unique pros and cons. The Summer heat in AZ is serious business. Although every day is beautiful blue skies, that heat is relentless and it pounds at you for months. Be prepared! My wife gives the edge to AZ, although she does love FL. We will return to vacation and see the friends we made in AZ and who knows what the future holds. It was an awesome life experience and bucket list to get to live in both places!