AfterTaxLabPhoenix, AZ vs Birmingham, United Kingdom: $100,000 against £100,000
This analysis examines the payroll deductions applied to a gross salary of $100,000 in Phoenix, Arizona. By observing how federal and state layers interact, we can isolate the impact of the flat 2.50% state income tax. This framework allows for a clear look at how specific tax rules adjust a worker's take-home pay throughout the fiscal year.
Flat 2.50% state income tax
Take-home after a year of rent: $56,016 — $20,664 of rent a year
United Kingdom payroll deductions (2026 model)
No rent, cost-of-living or price data is published for Birmingham on this site — that column is deliberately empty rather than estimated.
On $100,000 the US side gives up $23,320 (23.3% of gross) through federal tax, FICA and the Arizona state line. On £100,000 the United Kingdom side gives up £31,443 (31.4% of gross) through income tax and payroll contributions. Take-home is $76,680 versus £68,557 — and the currencies are not the same, so the honest next step is the live rate below, not a verdict from these two numbers alone.
$76,680 vs £68,557 — what does that mean in one currency?
This page stores no exchange rate. Your browser fetches the European Central Bank reference rate for GBP/USD the moment the script runs, so the converted line below is true at the rate of that day and not at a rate this page froze months ago. Nothing above changes: the tax figures are published in their own currencies because that is what the two engines actually compute.
Without JavaScript the conversion cannot run — the two columns stay in GBP and USD, which is exactly why every figure on this page is published in local currency.
$75,000, $100,000 and $150,000 against £75,000, £100,000 and £150,000
Each row compares the same rung of the two ladders — the numerals are held equal on purpose so that what you see moving is the tax rule, not the currency. The percentage columns are the share of gross that reaches the worker. No exchange rate is applied to these numbers.
| US gross | Phoenix, AZ take-home | Kept | United Kingdom gross | Birmingham take-home | Kept |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $75,000 USD | $59,717 | 79.6% | £75,000 GBP | £54,057 | 72.1% |
| $100,000 USD | $76,680 | 76.7% | £100,000 GBP | £68,557 | 68.6% |
| $150,000 USD | $110,041 | 73.4% | £150,000 GBP | £93,800 | 62.5% |
United Kingdom deductions beside the US ones, step by step
Eight rungs, all computed by the two engines on this page's build — nothing in this table is typed by hand. The non-US rungs use the same numerals as the US rungs, in the local currency.
| US gross (USD) | Arizona state tax | US take-home | United Kingdom gross (GBP) | United Kingdom deducted | Birmingham take-home |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| $35,000 | $875 | $29,427 | £35,000 | £6,280 | £28,720 |
| $50,000 | $1,250 | $41,105 | £50,000 | £10,480 | £39,520 |
| $75,000 | $1,875 | $59,717 | £75,000 | £20,943 | £54,057 |
| $100,000 | $2,500 | $76,680 | £100,000 | £31,443 | £68,557 |
| $125,000 | $3,125 | $93,578 | £125,000 | £44,443 | £80,557 |
| $150,000 | $3,750 | $110,041 | £150,000 | £56,200 | £93,800 |
| $200,000 | $5,000 | $143,927 | £200,000 | £79,700 | £120,300 |
| $250,000 | $6,250 | $176,932 | £250,000 | £103,200 | £146,800 |
The Arizona line comes from the published 2026 state model used by the calculator.
£100,000 gross in Birmingham: the United Kingdom stack
Every line below is an output of uk/calculator-uk.js at £100,000 — the same file the United Kingdom calculator loads in your browser.
| Component | Amount |
|---|---|
| Income tax — 20% to £50,270 · 40% to £125,140 · 45% above | £27,432 |
| National Insurance — 8% between £12,570 and £50,270, 2% above | £4,011 |
| Take-home per year | £68,557 |
| Take-home per month | £5,713 |
Source of this block: UK engine uk/calculator-uk.js — Personal Allowance £12,570, income tax 20/40/45%, National Insurance 8% / 2%.
What $100,000 leaves in Phoenix, AZ after a year of rent
Rent is the largest line most workers cannot move, so the take-home gap is only half the story. This site publishes rents for US metros only: there is no rent series for Birmingham, United Kingdom, so this section deliberately covers one side instead of guessing the other. Source: Zillow Research ZORI (Metro), kamuya açık araştırma dosyası · ay: 2026-08-31.
| Side | Monthly rent | Annual rent | % of gross | Take-home after rent |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ ZORI metro value for Phoenix, AZ | $1,722 | $20,664 | 20.7% | $56,016 |
| Birmingham no rent data held for United Kingdom | — | — | — | — |
A year of rent in Phoenix, AZ is $20,664 — 20.7% of the gross salary on the table — leaving $56,016 of the US take-home.
The United Kingdom column stays empty on purpose. A German or Dutch or Canadian rent figure would have to come from a proper source series; until this site holds one, the Birmingham side is a tax comparison, not a cost-of-living comparison.
Income tax and National Insurance for the UK model are rUK rates and are the same in every English, Welsh and Northern Irish city. Scotland sets different income tax bands, and Edinburgh and Glasgow sit in Scotland — the engine here uses the rUK bands, so treat those two cities as a planning figure.
The same $100,000 in ten US states
Federal tax and FICA do not move between states; only the state line does. Arizona is highlighted, and the last column is the gap against Phoenix, AZ.
| State | State tax | Take-home / year | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona flat 2.50% | $2,500 | $76,680 | +$0 |
| Texas no income tax | $0 | $79,180 | +$2,500 |
| California progressive | $5,344 | $73,836 | $-2,844 |
| New York progressive | $4,952 | $74,228 | $-2,452 |
| Florida no income tax | $0 | $79,180 | +$2,500 |
| Washington no income tax | $0 | $79,180 | +$2,500 |
| Illinois flat 4.95% | $4,950 | $74,230 | $-2,450 |
| Colorado flat 4.40% | $4,400 | $74,780 | $-1,900 |
| Georgia flat 5.19% | $5,190 | $73,990 | $-2,690 |
| North Carolina flat 4.25% | $4,250 | $74,930 | $-1,750 |
Try another salary on Phoenix, AZ or Birmingham
Both sides run the same engines the site's calculators use: uk/calculator-uk.js on the United Kingdom side and assets/js/tax-2026.js on the US side. The US selector starts on Phoenix, AZ; the United Kingdom side is fixed to Employee only, Personal Allowance applied with the £100,000 taper, no pension contributions, not Scottish rates.
Two engines, one salary each
Phoenix, AZ: assets/js/tax-2026.js — 2026 federal brackets, the $16,100 standard deduction, FICA with the $184,500 Social Security cap, and the Arizona state model. Birmingham: uk/calculator-uk.js — Employee only, Personal Allowance applied with the £100,000 taper, no pension contributions, not Scottish rates. Both engines are the ones loaded by the site's own calculators, and both are checked at build time against tax-rules/2026.json.
In Phoenix, the payroll stack is divided between federal income tax and the FICA contributions, which fund Social Security and Medicare. Arizona simplifies this by applying a flat state income tax to the gross amount. The federal tax layer remains constant regardless of the state of residence, ensuring that the primary variance in net pay for a US worker typically stems from the specific state-level policies.
For the UK, the payroll stack includes Income Tax and National Insurance contributions. These funds support the National Health Service, state pension schemes, and various social security benefits. The system relies on a personal allowance that reduces as earnings rise, effectively changing the marginal tax burden for high earners in Birmingham compared to those in the US structure.
Comparing identical numerals across two distinct currencies provides a neutral starting point to evaluate tax policy without the volatility of fluctuating exchange rates. This approach treats each currency as an independent unit of account, allowing users to see how much of a single unit of currency is retained after statutory deductions. While this method highlights the mechanical differences in tax legislation, it does not account for the differing purchasing power or the total cost of living in either jurisdiction.
Phoenix, AZ or Birmingham? What it means in practice
In Birmingham, United Kingdom, we look at the same numerical gross figure of £100,000. The UK tax code uses a progressive system involving a personal allowance taper and varying rates for income tax and National Insurance. This page provides a transparent look at the net result for a worker, strictly for illustrative purposes and not as tax advice.
In practice, this comparison serves to visualize how different governments capture their share of a worker's earnings. For a Phoenix resident, after accounting for annual rent expenses of $20,664, the remaining portion of the paycheck highlights the impact of housing costs on disposable income. Since we have no equivalent rent data for Birmingham, the two regions must be evaluated by focusing solely on their unique fiscal frameworks rather than lifestyle expenses.
A common mistake is assuming that identical gross numerals imply a similar quality of life or tax burden. Tax regimes are deeply tied to the social services they provide, and comparing the net result often ignores what the citizen receives in return for their contributions. Workers should verify their specific benefit eligibility and residency-based tax obligations before moving, as local deductions and personal circumstances can significantly alter these standardized projections.
Phoenix, AZ vs Birmingham: common questions
Why is the Arizona state income tax treated as a flat rate?
Arizona currently applies a flat rate of 2.50% on all taxable wage income. This creates a predictable state deduction that remains separate from the federal taxes withheld.
What do my National Insurance contributions cover in the UK?
These contributions in Birmingham are earmarked for the National Health Service and state pension funding. The rates are split into bands based on your earnings.
Does this page account for the cost of living in both cities?
No. We only provide rent data for Phoenix, AZ, and we do not have equivalent research for Birmingham. This page focuses strictly on payroll tax rules.
Can I use these figures to estimate my international purchasing power?
No. We do not use exchange rates or cost-of-living metrics. This comparison is limited to examining how tax percentages affect the take-home portion of a gross salary.
Why are the tax structures between these two cities so different?
The US uses a system of federal, state, and FICA withholdings. The UK relies on a unified income tax and National Insurance model that adjusts based on personal allowance.
Who might benefit from comparing these specific tax models?
This comparison is best suited for individuals researching the mechanical differences in how governments collect revenue from a gross salary of $100,000 or £100,000.
Kaynak / Sources: US engine assets/js/tax-2026.js (2026 federal brackets, $16,100 standard deduction, FICA Social Security wage base $184,500) · UK engine uk/calculator-uk.js — Personal Allowance £12,570, income tax 20/40/45%, National Insurance 8% / 2% · rules of record tax-rules/2026.json (lastVerified 2026-09-16) · US rents: Zillow Research ZORI (Metro), kamuya açık araştırma dosyası (veri/kiralar.json, month 2026-08-31) — Phoenix, AZ only, no non-US rent series exists here · exchange rate: European Central Bank reference rates via api.frankfurter.app, fetched live in your browser, never stored on this page · every figure above is an output of these files, nothing is estimated by hand.