Can a K-12 Teacher afford to live in Phoenix?

Comfortable27% of take-home left to save — solid margin to save and invest.
Median salary (gross)
K-12 Teacher · Phoenix
$55,790
Income tax (~20% effective)
United States
– $11,085
Take-home pay
$3,725/mo
$44,705
Living costs (1 person)
$2,720/mo · derived
– $32,640
Savings potential
$1,005/mo · 27% of take-home
$12,065

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 K-12 Teacher, adjusted for Phoenix.

• Tax: United States single-filer effective rate (~20%). 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.