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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Gilbert, Scottsdale, Chandler, Goodyear, Buckeye are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebrea…
275,411 residents · Arizona
Why Gilbert ranks #1: the numbers tell a clear story. And roughly speaking, at 120 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 9% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,049/month while the median household pulls in $121,351/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 104, though Housing (120) lags behind. Home prices average $570,461 — $103,091 above the national median.
244,394 residents · Arizona
Why Scottsdale ranks #2: the numbers tell a clear story. At 123 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 12% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $2,113/month while the median household pulls in $107,372/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 105, though Housing (123) lags behind. Home prices average $848,565 — $381,195 above the national median.
280,167 residents · Arizona
Why Chandler ranks #3: the numbers tell a clear story. At 108 on the cost index, residents save roughly 3% less than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,848/month while the median household pulls in $103,691/year. The Healthcare category is particularly strong at 102, though Housing (108) lags behind. Home prices average $521,806 — $54,436 above the national median.
111,805 residents · Arizona
What does daily life actually cost in Goodyear? Start with the 21% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Healthcare (index 101) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 103) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $101,814 and homes at $469,121 round out a profile that ranks #4 for clear reasons.
108,909 residents · Arizona
The #5 spot goes to Buckeye, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $2,004/month — costing renters $1,308 more per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 103, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 117. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
#1 Ranked: Gilbert — cost index 120, rent $2,049/mo, income $121,351
Top 5 separated by only 3 points
8 of 12 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 111
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Median Income | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Gilbert | $121,351 | 120 | $2,049 | Details |
| 2 | Scottsdale | $107,372 | 123 | $2,113 | Details |
| 3 | Chandler | $103,691 | 108 | $1,848 | Details |
| 4 | Goodyear | $101,814 | 103 | $1,767 | Details |
| 5 | Buckeye | $98,778 | 117 | $2,004 | Details |
| 6 | Peoria | $93,403 | 106 | $1,821 | Details |
| 7 | Surprise | $93,371 | 112 | $1,926 | Details |
| 8 | Mesa | $78,779 | 91 | $1,554 | Details |
| 9 | Tempe | $77,643 | 98 | $1,679 | Details |
| 10 | Phoenix | $77,041 | 91 | $1,556 | Details |
| 11 | Glendale | $70,139 | 90 | $1,544 | Details |
| 12 | Tucson | $54,546 | 82 | $1,399 | Details |
This is one of the closest races in our database: the top 5 cities are separated by just 3 points on the cost index. Gilbert, Scottsdale, Chandler, Goodyear, Buckeye are all within striking distance. At this margin, secondary factors — taxes, rent trends, category-specific costs — become the tiebreakers. Here's the full breakdown.
Look, What does daily life actually cost in Gilbert? Start with the 20% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Healthcare (index 104) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 120) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $121,351 and homes at $570,461 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
| City | State Tax | Sales Tax | Property Tax | Est. Take-Home |
|---|---|---|---|---|
1Gilbert | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
2Scottsdale | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
3Chandler | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
4Goodyear | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
5Buckeye | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
6Peoria | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
7Surprise | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
8Mesa | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
9Tempe | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
10Phoenix | 2.5% | 8.37% | 0.51% | $86,867 |
Cities are ranked by median household income from Census ACS data. We also show cost-adjusted purchasing power (income ÷ cost index) to reveal which high-income cities actually deliver the most real-world spending power. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Gilbert ranks #1 in Arizona for this analysis with a cost index of 120 and median income of $121,351.
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.
Gilbert (ranked #1) has a cost index of 120 and rent of $2,049/mo, while Tucson (ranked #12) has a cost index of 82 and rent of $1,399/mo — a 38-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 Gilbert is $2,049/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $154 above the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Gilbert is $570,461, which is 4.7× the local median income. It's on the edge of affordability for median-income households. 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.