What does a Civil Engineers salary really buy you in Arizona?
Arizona is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-04-02
Arizona's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 99.9, meaning prices are 0.1% lower the national average. A Civil Engineers earning $84,360 in Arizona has the equivalent purchasing power of $84,444 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) | $64,010 | $64,074 | +$64 |
| 25th Percentile (P25) | $76,330 | $76,406 | +$76 |
| Median (P50) | $84,360 | $84,444 | +$84 |
| 75th Percentile (P75) | $103,820 | $103,923 | +$103 |
| 90th Percentile (P90) | $130,190 | $130,320 | +$130 |
Arizona's cost of living is close to the national average, so $84,360 keeps most of its value at $84,444 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Civil Engineers salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Arizona ranks #47 out of 51 states for Civil Engineers after cost-of-living adjustment.
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How much do you actually take home? See Civil Engineers take-home pay in Arizona after taxes →
A Civil Engineers in Arizona earns a median salary of $84,360 per year. After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (RPP=99.9), the real purchasing power is $84,444 — 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 Civil Engineers in Arizona: $84,360 x (100 / 99.9) = $84,444. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.