Scottsdale Cost of Living

What living in Scottsdale costs

Scottsdale runs at 1.18x the US national average — 10 of the 99 other metros tracked here cost more, 86 cost less. A one-bedroom goes for about $1,750 a month, or $21,000 a year, and the median home sits near $700,000.

The price-to-rent ratio here is roughly 33, which is high. Above about 20, renting and investing the down payment usually beats buying over a normal holding period — the purchase price is steep relative to what the same property earns as a rental.

Working and living here

Scottsdale is a metro of roughly 4.9M and growing steadily, running on tourism/hospitality, healthcare, finance. Larger employers include Mayo Clinic Arizona, HonorHealth, Nationwide.

Arizona taxes income at the state level, and Scottsdale adds no separate city tax. Cost-of-living indexes exclude income tax entirely, so compare after-tax figures rather than index ratios when weighing this metro against one in a no-income-tax state.

Getting around: Scottsdale is effectively car-dependent. Budget for a car — around $9,000 a year all-in once insurance, fuel, maintenance and parking are counted, a cost the index assumes but does not itemise.

Climate: Desert climate with mild winters near 45°F lows and extremely hot summers with July highs regularly above 104°F.

Part of the Phoenix metro; among the priciest submarkets in Arizona, popular with retirees and seasonal 'snowbird' residents, driving a highly seasonal rental market.