What does a Physicists salary really buy you in Arizona?
Arizona is near the US average cost of livingData: BLS OEWS 2024 + BEA Regional Price Parities 2022 • Updated 2026-03-31
Arizona's Regional Price Parity (RPP) is 99.9, meaning prices are 0.1% lower the national average. A Physicists earning $190,960 in Arizona has the equivalent purchasing power of $191,151 in an average-cost US state.
Arizona's cost of living is close to the national average, so $190,960 keeps most of its value at $191,151 in real terms. Location choice here is more about career opportunities than cost arbitrage.
Where does Physicists salary stretch the furthest? Top 10 states ranked by COL-adjusted median salary.
Arizona ranks #6 out of 39 states for Physicists after cost-of-living adjustment.
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A Physicists in Arizona earns a median salary of $190,960 per year. After adjusting for Arizona's cost of living (RPP=99.9), the real purchasing power is $191,151 — 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 Physicists in Arizona: $190,960 x (100 / 99.9) = $191,151. This represents what the salary would be worth in a state with average living costs.