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What does a Astronomers salary really buy you in Arizona?
Arizona is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2025 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-05-19
Arizona's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 99.9, meaning prices are 0.1% lower the national average. A Astronomers earning $129,020 in Arizona has the equivalent purchasing power of $129,149 in an average-cost US state.
Every dollar goes further in low-cost states. Here is how each salary percentile compares after adjusting for Arizona's cost of living.
| Percentile | Nominal Salary | COL-Adjusted | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10th Percentile (P10) | $75,600 | $75,675 | +$75 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $98,430 | $98,528 | +$98 |
| Median (P50) | $129,020 | $129,149 | +$129 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $163,020 | $163,183 | +$163 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $177,020 | $177,197 | +$177 |
Arizona's cost of living is close to the national average, so $129,020 keeps most of its value at $129,149 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
With an RPP of 99.9, Arizona is within a few percent of the national cost-of-living baseline. Salary adjustment for Astronomers is therefore minor — what you earn is close to what you'd keep in real purchasing power.
After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living, $129,020 nominal nets out to $129,149 in real purchasing power — a small 0.1% gain. The state's cost profile is close enough to average that COL alone shouldn't drive location decisions for this Astronomers.
Ranked on COL-adjusted median pay for Astronomers, Arizona places #1 of 5 states — top quartile. Either nominal wages run high, cost of living runs low, or both.
Where does Astronomers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Arizona ranks #1 out of 5 states for Astronomers after cost-of-living adjustment.
How much do you actually take home? See Astronomers take-home pay in Arizona after taxes →
A Astronomers in Arizona earns a median salary of $129,020 per year. After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (RPP=99.9), the real purchasing power is $129,149 — a +0.1% difference.
Arizona's cost of living is 0.1% lower than the national average according to the BEA Regional Price Parities (2022). The RPP index for Arizona is 99.9 (US average = 100).
Regional Price Parities (RPPs) are price indexes published by the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) that measure differences in price levels across states. They are expressed as a percentage of the national average (US = 100). Higher RPP means higher cost of living.
The adjusted salary is calculated as: Nominal Salary x (100 / RPP). For a Astronomers in Arizona: $129,020 x (100 / 99.9) = $129,149. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.
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