Cost of Living in Phoenix

The Phoenix metro area has one of the hottest real estate markets in the country currently. That may be appropriate since it also has some of the hottest summers in the country as well. For people moving to "the Valley," it is good to know that some areas include a "premium" on home prices because of the address; Scottsdale is an example.

The cost of living is fairly manageable, with property taxes rising, but still lower than many states. The winter months are very nice and you can expect good weather from late November through April. When you hear someone remark about Arizona having a "dry heat," please ignore the comment. When it is 112 or 116 degrees out; it is hot; very hot. We also have a monsoon season which can add humidity and heavy rain. Northern Arizona is much different with cooler temperatures in places like Flagstaff, which also gets a lot of snow during the winter months. Arizona is a state of extremes in that regard.

Back in the 90s, the local newspaper did a cover story about the fact that neighbors here often don't know each other and that people tend to keep to themselves. That is largely true. While the people serving tourists in Arizona's large tourist business tend to be friendlier, the sense of friendliness often found in the south or Midwest is largely missing here. Of course, during the summer months, people tend to stay indoors in air conditioning, so this means that people are not congregating outside during 6 months of the year. This was the case pre-pandemic also.

Most of the costs listed are accurate, although currently, the cost of gas is about $3.05/gallon. Because of the low inventory in the real estate market, home prices have surged and rental rates have gone up as well. Compared to large cities on the east coast, or almost anywhere in California, these housing costs probably still seem low.

Work traffic is very heavy during the morning and afternoon drive-times. Phoenix is surrounded by several "bedroom communities," so these feed to work traffic heading into the city and it creates congestion. Also, Phoenix is largely a service community and many of the jobs are lower-paying customer service positions. There are also some high-tech firms with competitive pay scales.

On the ideological front; Arizona has had the reputation of being the state that Barry Goldwater came from and had been traditionally conservative. That has changed in recent years as election outcomes have illustrated. People fleeing CA, OR and WA have relocated to Arizona because of the lower cost-of-living and lower taxes.

For those who want to escape the know, and have a tolerance for 6 months of blistering heat instead; the Phoenix metro area might be your cup of tea. If you enjoy four seasons and enjoy knowing your neighbors; consider other places.