Tucson Cost of Living

What living in Tucson costs

At 0.96x national costs, Tucson is more expensive than 33 and cheaper than 61 of the 99 other metros here. In practical terms that is $1,000 a month for a one-bedroom and roughly $320,000 to buy.

The price-to-rent ratio here is roughly 27, 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

Tucson is a metro of roughly 1.1M and growing steadily, running on aerospace/defense, higher education, healthcare. Larger employers include Raytheon Missiles & Defense, University of Arizona, Davis-Monthan Air Force Base.

Arizona taxes income at the state level, and Tucson 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: Tucson 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 38°F lows and extremely hot summers with July highs near 100°F.

Home to a major University of Arizona research presence and a large Raytheon/defense-aerospace cluster, with housing costs well below nearby Phoenix.