$18 an Hour in Arizona — After-Tax Take-Home (2026)

At $18/hour (2,080 hours/year), your gross annual income is $37,440. After federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare, and Arizona state income tax, your take-home pay is $15.25/hr. In Arizona's medium cost-of-living environment, this is below what's needed for comfortable living in Arizona.

Gross Annual
$37,440
Net Annual
$31,730
Net Monthly
$2,644
Net Hourly
$15.25

Pay Period Breakdown

Period Gross Tax Net
Hourly $18.00 $2.75 $15.25
Daily (8 hrs) $144.00 $21.96 $122.04
Weekly (40 hrs) $720.00 $109.82 $610.18
Biweekly $1,440.00 $219.63 $1,220.37
Monthly $3,120.00 $475.87 $2,644.13
Annual $37,440 $5,710 $31,730

Full Tax Breakdown — Arizona, Single Filer

Item Rate / Notes Amount
Gross Annual Income $18/hr × 2,080 hrs $37,440
Federal Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Federal Taxable Income $21,340
Federal Income Tax 6.2% −$2,312.80
Social Security (6.2%) up to $168,600 −$2,321.28
Medicare (1.45%) −$542.88
Arizona Standard Deduction Single 2026 −$16,100
Arizona State Income Tax 1.4% −$533.50
Total Tax 15.3% effective −$5,710.46
Net Take-Home $31,730

How Does Arizona Compare?

See how $18/hr take-home differs in other states at the same wage:

Equivalent Annual Salary Pages

$18/hr = $37,440/year gross. See the full state-by-state salary breakdown:

Adjacent Rates in Arizona

Same Rate, Other States

Cost of Living in Arizona

✗ Difficult — $18/hr falls short in Arizona
  • Avg 1BR rent in Phoenix: $1,350/mo — over the 30% rule (43% of gross monthly)
  • Minimum comfortable income in Arizona: $42,000/yr
  • Your net annual: $31,730 ($10,270 below comfortable threshold)
  • Purchasing power equivalent in Texas: ~$18/hr

Working at $18/hr in Arizona

This is a comfortable wage in most Arizona metros. The 2.5% flat state tax means your effective burden is low — a meaningful advantage over neighboring California. Phoenix's job market is booming in tech and manufacturing, creating real upward mobility at this level.

At ${rate}/hr, you work roughly 89 hours each month to cover a typical 1BR in Phoenix (${rent.toLocaleString()}/mo) -- that's above the 30% gross income guideline. This wage is 1.2x Arizona's minimum wage of ${ctx.minWage}/hr. Your combined effective tax rate at ${rate}/hr in Arizona is 15.3% -- federal income tax accounts for 6.2%, FICA 7.7%, and Arizona state tax 1.4%.

Arizona's economy has grown rapidly, led by semiconductor manufacturing (TSMC's Phoenix fab), real estate, tourism, and healthcare. The Phoenix metro is one of the fastest-growing job markets in the US.

Arizona simplified to a flat 2.5% income tax rate in 2023 — one of the lowest flat rates in the country. This means workers at all income levels pay the same low effective state rate.

Arizona's minimum wage is $14.70/hr (2026), adjusted annually for inflation.

Monthly Budget on $18/hr in Arizona

Based on $2,644/month take-home. Percentages follow common 50/30/20 guidelines adjusted for Arizona's cost of living.

Category Monthly Annual % of Net
Rent / Housing $1,350 $16,200 51.1%
Food (groceries + dining) $317 $3,804 12.0%
Transportation $264 $3,168 10.0%
Utilities $159 $1,908 6.0%
Healthcare $132 $1,584 5.0%
Entertainment $132 $1,584 5.0%
Savings (10% target) $264 $3,168 10.0%
Remaining / Surplus $26 $312 1.0%

Overtime Pay — $18/hr in Arizona

At time-and-a-half ($27.00/hr), here's what overtime adds to your annual net income in Arizona. Your marginal tax rate at this income level is ~16.0%.

Extra Hours/Week OT Gross/Week Net/Week (est.) Added Net/Year
5 hrs/week $135 $113 $5,650
10 hrs/week $270 $227 $11,350
20 hrs/week $540 $454 $22,700

Hours to Afford Common Purchases at $18/hr

How many hours of work (gross) to buy common items. Actual cost in after-tax hours is higher — divide by your $15.25 net hourly rate for the true cost in time.

Purchase Price Gross Hours Net Hours
Tank of gas (12 gal) $50 2.8 hrs 3.3 hrs
Week of groceries $120 6.7 hrs 7.9 hrs
iPhone 16 (base) $799 44.4 hrs 52.4 hrs
1 month rent (Phoenix) $1,350 75 hrs 88.5 hrs
Used car ($10k) $10,000 555.6 hrs 655.6 hrs
Median new car ($48k) $48,000 2666.7 hrs 3146.6 hrs

Frequently Asked Questions

18 an hour -- is it a good wage in Arizona?

18/hr in Arizona gives you $31,730/year after taxes -- below what's needed for comfortable living in Arizona. Avg 1BR rent in Phoenix: $1,350/month (exceeds the 30% rule).

What is 18 an hour after taxes in Arizona?

18/hr in Arizona = $31,730/year or $2,644/month net. Effective rate: 15.3%.

How does 18/hr go further -- Arizona or Texas?

18/hr in Arizona has similar purchasing power to ~18/hr in Texas.

What does 18/hr look like as a monthly budget in Arizona?

On $2,644/month in Arizona: rent $1,350, food $317, transport $264, savings $264, surplus ~$26.

How much does overtime add at 18/hr in Arizona?

At 1.5x (27.00/hr OT), 5 extra hrs/week adds ~$5,650/year net; 10 hrs/week adds ~$11,350/year.