Arizona has a cost of living index of 89 (US average = 100) with a median household income of $62,280 and a population of 6,799,438. We ranked 15 cities based on affordability, income, housing value, and climate to find the best places to call home in Arizona.
Casas Adobes is 5% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $81,041 and a population of 70,770.
Marana is 19% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $108,256 and a population of 54,487.
Oro Valley is 18% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $105,342 and a population of 47,595.
Drexel Heights is 9% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $75,152 and a population of 27,636.
Tucson Mountains is 14% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $132,946 and a population of 11,428.
Flowing Wells is 28% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $40,769 and a population of 16,989.
Kingman is 18% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $60,418 and a population of 33,850.
New Kingman-Butler is 32% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $42,604 and a population of 14,281.
Casa Grande is 2% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $66,354 and a population of 57,590.
Florence is 2% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $76,259 and a population of 25,961.
Mesa is 11% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $78,779 and a population of 507,478.
Apache Junction is 16% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $58,619 and a population of 39,746.
Fortuna Foothills is 19% cheaper than the national average with a median income of $57,583 and a population of 28,227.
Buckeye is 21% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $98,778 and a population of 99,844.
Vail is 20% more expensive than the national average with a median income of $121,385 and a population of 15,722.
Our livability score combines four data-driven factors: affordability (35% — cost of living index relative to national average), income (25% — median household income from the Census Bureau), housing value (15% — home price to income ratio), and climate (15% — NOAA temperature normals favoring moderate climates). Population serves as a proxy for amenities (10%).
Only cities with at least 5,000–10,000 residents are included. Data sourced from the US Census Bureau, Zillow, HUD, and NOAA.