10 Most Expensive Cities to Live in Arizona

With United States of America being vast and colorful as they are, it’s only natural that different parts of the country exhibit different prices for everyday needs which can easily be seen from this list of most expensive cities to live in Arizona. That’s right – you don’t have to look further than one state for price diversity, and in this instance it’s The Grand Canyon State. But, where does Arizona stand compared to national average? Well, according to Career Trends, Arizona is just about in the middle of the pack. With the middle ground being a score of 100, Arizona’s composite overall index of 101 doesn’t stray too far away from national average. This means that overall, Arizona is just 1% more expensive than what’s considered an average cost of living. If you take a further look at indexes that compose the overall score, you’ll see that most money in Arizona (compared to other states), goes on childcare with an index of 109, while least goes on healthcare which is 9% cheaper here than it is the case with nation’s average (index of 91). While Arizona certainly isn’t that expensive currently, it still is a part of the American Sun Belt. We have witnessed a huge population rise in major Sun Belt cities which tends to have an impact on the overall economy of both cities and their respective states. It won’t surprise us if the major metropolitan area(s) in Arizona (read Phoenix) become more expensive further down the line.

But, how do Arizona’s cities and metropolitan areas compare among themselves? Things such as prices are rarely a one-track road, hence differences between urban areas always exist. We’ll show you to what extent these differences go in Arizona. In order to do that, we have resorted to Career Trend’s relevant data about Arizona cities. All ranked cities in Arizona and their respective data can be seen here. However, we have also decided to double check this data by comparing it to another source of information. Infoplease too has a list which compares prices of goods and services across select American cities (including a few of them from Arizona). Although their methodology might be different than that of Career Trends, overall positions when comparing the cities are remaining in place. That, however, wasn’t enough, so we have used Sperling’s Best Places and AreaVibes indexes as well. If you think that Phoenix and its quick-expanding boroughs are the most expensive neighborhoods in Arizona, you’re in for a surprise. They’re actually among those less expensive, or at least among average cities by overall cost of living.

If you’re thinking of moving away from the states into one of many English-speaking countries of the world, however, you might consider moving to the land of Oz. On average, Australia showcases similar cost of living as the United States, but that all depends on perspective. Compared to Arizona’s cities, though, Australian major cities seem a tad bit more expensive. Here’s a full list of 10 most expensive cities to live in Australia, so that you can choose for yourselves. Ultimately, let us move on to our list of 10 most expensive cities to live in Arizona.

10. Phoenix

Well, well – as mentioned above, we’re starting with Phoenix. At number 10 spot, Arizona’s capital and largest city is rather far from most expensive areas in American southwestern state, but some of its suburbs will find their way to the list, as you’ll later see. Most of services and goods in Phoenix cost less than what’s American average, and same can be said about Phoenix’s boroughs Mesa and Glendale. Groceries, however, seem to be slightly above the national average in terms of prices. Of course, there’s no need to say that Phoenix is one of the best places to live in Arizona given the fact that it’s not that expensive, and that it’s a large city with all amenities close at hand. Even housing indexes are somewhere around the national average, but with so many real estates in Phoenix, you’ll certainly find plenty of choices for every pocket’s depth.

9. Lake Havasu City

Positioned on the edge of Parker Dam’s reservoir lake with the same name – Lake Havasu City represents a true oasis in scorched Arizona state. It’s a well-known tourist destination, and its position between Phoenix and Las Vegas only helps it. Given such status, it’s no wonder that Lake Havasu makes the list of most expensive cities and neighborhoods in Arizona. Housing seems to be the biggest spending item here, but healthcare, utilities and transportation too, seem to be above average compared to other places in Arizona.

8. Prescott

Prescot and Prescott Valley are nicely tucked away between Prescott National Forest and The Kaibab National Forest further up north. This kind of position protects Prescott from extreme highs when it comes to temperatures, which is a most welcome feature for town’s inhabitants. Needless to say, this is one of the reasons why Prescott is generally more expensive than most other towns in Arizona. Housing index raises Prescott’s overall cost of living index, but other categories are largely within national and Arizona’s average figures.

7. Flagstaff

Being so close to the Grand Canyon, it’s no wonder why Flagstaff makes our list of 10 most expensive cities to live in Arizona. Tourism thrives in Flagstaff, not only thanks to Grand Canyon, but thanks to mentioned Kaibab National Forest, Coconino National Forest, and Humphreys Peak as well. Apart from high housing index, Flagstaff can boast with high healthcare (especially childcare) index, and slightly more expensive transportation.

6. Oro Valley

Oro Valley is Tucson’s suburban town of some 42,000 inhabitants. It lies north of downtown Tucson, at the foot of Mount Lemmon. This picturesque town is close to Santa Catalina Natural Area and Willow Canyon too, which makes it rich with recreation areas. If you need to take a break from quick-paced urban life (even though Oro Valley isn’t that large a town), you don’t really have to travel that far. Of course, houses are rather expensive here, but that’s usually the case with most suburban areas. Apart from high housing index, Oro Valley features high healthcare index which, together push the cost of living here beyond both national and state’s average.

5. Fountain Hills

Fountain Hills gravitate toward Phoenix, but it is well beyond the city limits. This small community is beyond Scottsdale even, and it’s surrounded by some exquisite natural wonders. Apart from McDowell Mountain Regional Park just north of town, Fountain Hills are close to Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation Reservation and Salt River Pima–Maricopa Indian Community. Tonto Verde Golf Club is a few miles from here, which means that Fountain Hills’ residents don’t lack recreation at all. Of course, all this comes with a price. Naturally, houses are what adds most to Fountain Hills’ cost of living index, but groceries too are more expensive than it’s usually the case across the state.

4. Sedona

Sedona is widely renowned for its art community. New age shops, galleries, and spas are around every corner in this small desert community. Apart from its unconventional community, Sedona boasts refreshingly mild climate which has attracted most of its newer residents in the first place. Surrounded by pine forests and red rocks mostly found in Grand Canyon, Sedona doesn’t lack its share of picturesque landscapes. In fact, Red Rock State Park is just around the corner, and so is Slide Rock State Park on the opposite side of town. Now, living in Sedona is slightly more expensive given the slightly higher cost of living index overall. Housing index, however, is what pushes these prices the most.

3. Scottsdale

Scottsdale is basically adjacent to the greater Phoenix area, but we’ll rate it separately on our list of 10 most expensive cities to live in Arizona. With population close to 250,000 inhabitants, Scottsdale is one of the biggest cities in the state. Being on the large side, it’s natural that Scottsdale features many different pricing ranges in most categories, but houses here, are generally more expensive than in most of greater Phoenix area. Even your grocery bag will cost more than it is the case with national or state’s average, but not by much. Otherwise, Scottsdale exhibits similar prices as any other average city in Arizona.

2. Cave Creek and Carefree

While being two separate communities, Cave Creek and Carefree border one another and exhibit similar high prices overall, so we’ll rate them together. Former is a community of some 5,000, while latter has around 3,000 inhabitants. Cave Creek Regional Park is just outside of the small town whose name it shares, but that’s not the only green piece of land around with Spur Cross Ranch Conservation just north of town. Carefree is a little bit closer to Scottsdale (they actually border one another), and it too offers plenty of outdoor activity venues to its citizens. Any of five nearby golf courses should testify to that statement, and it’s no wonder why Carefree and nearby Cave Creek feature such exorbitant housing prices. Together with expensive homes, however, come expensive shopping baskets and services which can easily be seen in respective pricing indexes for these categories.

1. Paradise Valley

We are concluding this list of 10 most expensive cities to live in Arizona with Paradise Valley. Part of the greater Phoenix area, just west of South Scottsdale, this small town offers everything rich people could have wished for (including the high prices). It’s a premier tourist destination with no less than 8 resorts which is no mean feat considering the population just shy of 14,000. Paradise Valley features some of the most expensive real estates in Arizona, and they are, naturally followed by higher prices for goods and services. Paradise Valley’s status is confirmed by numerous golf courses inside the town itself. Being in a sandwich between Phoenix and Scottsdale – Paradise Valley doesn’t lack access to all imaginable amenities, and it’s easy to figure out why the town is so desirable.