Can a Surgeon afford to live in Phoenix?

Excellent87% of take-home left to save — you can save aggressively here.
Median salary (gross)
Surgeon · Phoenix
$419,042
Income tax (~38% effective)
United States
– $160,094
Take-home pay
$21,579/mo
$258,948
Living costs (1 person)
$2,720/mo · derived
– $32,640
Savings potential
$18,859/mo · 87% of take-home
$226,308

Single professional, after-tax. Salary − tax − living costs = what you could save each year.

Full salary breakdown →Is this a good salary in Phoenix? →Compare Phoenix with another city →

How we calculated this

• Salary: BLS OES median for Surgeon, adjusted for Phoenix.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~38%). Official calculator.

• Living costs: derived from cost-of-living index for a single professional.

Planning estimates, not financial or tax advice. Updated 2026. Your situation will differ.