Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 44/100
D
Median home value$420,700
Phoenix $440,900
Median rent$1,582/mo
Phoenix $1,702/mo
Cost-burdened households34%
Phoenix 32%
Phoenix
Maricopa County1,642,323 residents5 school districts
61
C
Suburbgrade score
10th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. Strong on cost of living and amenities, held back by housing & affordability.
61
Phoenix median 54
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Phoenix yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 61 is computed on the other six categories, re-normalised to 100%. Answer the poll →
What living here is actually like
Written summary in preparation This page is waiting for its written summary, and for a person to check it. Until then it is excluded from search engines.
What Phoenix is like to live in, by category
Bars show Phoenix against Phoenix. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 58/100
C
Within-state proficiency55th pct
Phoenix median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio18.0
Phoenix median 18.0
Graduation rate88%
Phoenix median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 75/100
B
Housing cost index95
Phoenix 100
Eff. tax rate0.46%
Phoenix 0.45%
Local sales tax8.52%
Phoenix median 8.52%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 67/100
C+
Mean commute25.6 min
Phoenix 26.4 min
Under 30 minutes63%
Phoenix 61%
Transit stops / sq mi17
Phoenix median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 74/100
B
Restaurants & cafés64
Phoenix median 6 · within 2 miles
Groceries7
Phoenix median 1 · within 2 miles
Parks46
Phoenix median 26 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 52/100
D+
Median household income$81,332
Phoenix $88,301
Unemployment5.0%
Phoenix 4.7%
Professional occupations40%
Phoenix 43%
Residents
12% of the score · inactive
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No responses yet. Residents is excluded from the score until eight people answer.
Ask the people who live here
Twelve yes/no questions, one tap each. No dataset knows whether the yards are kept or whether anyone talks to their neighbours. Answers feed the Residents grade, which needs eight responses before it counts.
Nobody has answered for Phoenix yet. If you live here, you can be the first.
Is it quiet at night?
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Do you feel safe walking after dark?
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Can you walk to a grocery store?
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Is it good for young children?
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Are yards and streets well kept?
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Tap either button to answer — no account neededAll twelve questions →
Better than Phoenix on housing & affordability
Phoenix's weakest grade is D. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same four inputs.
SuburbHousingOverall
Paradise Valley8 mi from PhoenixA+ 64 C+ New River21 mi from PhoenixB 55 C− Anthem19 mi from PhoenixB− 63 C+ Fountain Hills20 mi from PhoenixB− 60 C Scottsdale15 mi from PhoenixC+ 65 C+ Surprise22 mi from PhoenixC 50 D+ Median home value: ACS 2020–24 · Ownership rate: ACS 2020–24
Common questions about living in Phoenix
Is Phoenix, AZ a good place to live?
Phoenix scores 61 out of 100, 10th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on housing & affordability. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Phoenix expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades B. The median home is $420,700, 5% below the Phoenix median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.46%. $1,582/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Phoenix?
Schools grade C. The districts serving Phoenix sit at the 55th pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 88% graduation rate and a 18.0 student–teacher ratio. Phoenix is served by Phoenix Union High School District (4286), Deer Valley Unified District (4246), Paradise Valley Unified District (4241), Glendale Union High School District (4285) and Washington Elementary School District (4260). Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Phoenix?
The mean commute is 25.6 min, with 63% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 19% working from home. Transit density is 17 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Phoenix?
Within two miles there are 7 groceries, 64 restaurants and cafés and 46 parks, which grades B on amenities.
Are the homes in Phoenix old or new?
The median home in Phoenix was built in 1985 — older than the Phoenix median of 1994. That is a median, so a town can be half post-war and half new-build and still land there. 65% of homes are houses rather than flats.
Every answer is built from the figures on this page, with their sources and as-of dates on the methodology page.