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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Premium market, smart picks: while Arizona trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Tucson at index 97 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Arizona.
Premium market, smart picks: while Arizona trends above the national average, the gap between the most and least expensive cities here is wider than you'd think. Tucson at index 97 is the standout — offering meaningful savings without leaving Arizona.
The healthcare sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 110 (the top-10 average here) means healthcare costs are about -10% below the national median. Tucson leads at 100, followed by Glendale (106) and Phoenix (107). Note: a low healthcare index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
Tucson earns its position at #1 through a combination that's hard to replicate. The 97 cost index sits 15 points below the national baseline, and the $54,546 median income means purchasing power here is amplified by the low cost base. Homes list at $321,688 — $145,682 below the national median — a genuine ownership opportunity. On the cost side, Utilities leads the way at 89, while Healthcare trails at 100.
If you only look at rent, it's perfect. Zoom out and it's complicated. In Tucson, the healthcare index sits at 100 — not a dealbreaker, but worth knowing about.
If you're ready to act on this, three things to do next: 1) Click into the city pages for the top 3 and check rent trends — direction matters more than the snapshot. 2) Run your income through the salary calculator for a personalized cost comparison. 3) Compare your top two picks head-to-head on our comparison page. The data is here; the decision is yours.
#1 Ranked: Tucson — cost index 97, rent $1,399/mo, income $54,546
9 of 12 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
547,239 residents · Arizona
Why Tucson ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. At 97 on the cost index, residents save roughly 15% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,399/month — worth pausing on — while the median household pulls in $54,546/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 89, though Healthcare (100) lags behind. Home prices average $321,688 — $145,682 below the national median.
187,050 residents · Arizona
A closer look at Glendale: the cost index of 103 breaks down to a Utilities index of 95 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 108 (weakest). Median rent is $1,544/month — 19% below the national median — while household income sits at $70,139, meaning locals spend about 26% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
1,650,070 residents · Arizona
Here's Phoenix by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 104. Rent: $1,556/month. Income: $77,041/year. Home price: $407,665. Population: 1,650,070. The strongest category is Utilities at 95; the most expensive is Housing at 109. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,068 per year vs. the national median. That level of affordability is getting rarer every year (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
511,648 residents · Arizona
Here's Mesa by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 105. Rent: $1,554/month. Income: $78,779/year. Home price: $432,764. Population: 511,648. The strongest category is Utilities at 96; the most expensive is Housing at 112. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $4,092 per year vs. the national median. If you're debt-free, those savings go straight to building wealth (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
189,834 residents · Arizona
Dive into Tempe's numbers: cost index 108 (4 points below national average), rent $1,679/month, income $77,643, and a home price of $466,198. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 100, while Housing runs 120. With 189,834 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
| Rank | City | Healthcare Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Tucson | 100 | 97 | $1,399 | Details |
| 2 | Glendale | 106 | 103 | $1,544 | Details |
| 3 | Phoenix | 107 | 104 | $1,556 | Details |
| 4 | Mesa | 108 | 105 | $1,554 | Details |
| 5 | Tempe | 111 | 108 | $1,679 | Details |
| 6 | Surprise | 113 | 110 | $1,926 | Details |
| 7 | Goodyear | 113 | 110 | $1,767 | Details |
| 8 | Buckeye | 114 | 110 | $2,004 | Details |
| 9 | Peoria | 115 | 111 | $1,821 | Details |
| 10 | Chandler | 117 | 113 | $1,848 | Details |
| 11 | Gilbert | 122 | 119 | $2,049 | Details |
| 12 | Scottsdale | 137 | 133 | $2,113 | Details |
Tucson ranks #1 in Arizona for this analysis with a cost index of 97 and median income of $54,546.
Tucson, AZ has the lowest healthcare index at 100, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Tucson (ranked #1) has a cost index of 97 and rent of $1,399/mo, while Scottsdale (ranked #12) has a cost index of 133 and rent of $2,113/mo — a 36-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Tucson is $1,399/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $496 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Tucson is $321,688, which is 5.9× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Arizona has a 2.5% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.37%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.51%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.