Housing & affordability
18% of the score · 59/100
C
Median home value$435,100
Phoenix $440,900
Median rent$2,033/mo
Phoenix $1,702/mo
Cost-burdened households29%
Phoenix 32%
Surprise
Maricopa County154,948 residents3 school districts
50
D+
Suburbgrade score
20th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. Strongest on cost of living, held back by amenities.
50
Phoenix median 54
0 · F
A+ · 100
Launch-day rule. Residents is not counted for Surprise yet: no poll responses so far. The overall score of 50 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 Surprise is like to live in, by category
Bars show Surprise against Phoenix. Weights are published in full.Schools
18% of the score · 56/100
C−
Within-state proficiency62nd pct
Phoenix median 63rd pct
Student–teacher ratio19.6
Phoenix median 18.0
Graduation rate91%
Phoenix median 91%
Cost of living
14% of the score · 66/100
C+
Housing cost index102
Phoenix 100
Eff. tax rate0.45%
Phoenix 0.45%
Local sales tax8.52%
Phoenix median 8.52%
Commute & transport
14% of the score · 44/100
D
Mean commute30.2 min
Phoenix 26.4 min
Under 30 minutes53%
Phoenix 61%
Transit stops / sq mi0.0
Phoenix median 0.0 · within 2 miles
Amenities
12% of the score · 16/100
F
Restaurants & cafés0
Phoenix median 6 · within 2 miles
Groceries0
Phoenix median 1 · within 2 miles
Parks27
Phoenix median 26 · within 2 miles
Employment & income
12% of the score · 53/100
C−
Median household income$96,711
Phoenix $88,301
Unemployment4.3%
Phoenix 4.7%
Professional occupations41%
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 Surprise 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 Surprise on amenities
Surprise's weakest grade is F. Six suburbs are within 25 miles and score higher on the same six inputs.
SuburbAmenitiesOverall
Phoenix22 mi from SurpriseB 61 C Glendale18 mi from SurpriseB 58 C Sun City10 mi from SurpriseC 55 C− Anthem22 mi from SurpriseC− 63 C+ Sun City West5 mi from SurpriseC− 60 C El Mirage9 mi from SurpriseD 54 C− Restaurants & cafés: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026 · Groceries: OpenStreetMap Sep 2026
Common questions about living in Surprise
Is Surprise, AZ a good place to live?
Surprise scores 50 out of 100, 20th of 31 Phoenix suburbs. It is strongest on cost of living and weakest on amenities. Every weight behind that score is published on the methodology page.
Is Surprise expensive to live in?
Cost of living grades C+. The median home is $435,100, 1% below the Phoenix median, and the effective property tax rate is 0.45%. $2,033/mo is the median gross rent.
How good are the schools in Surprise?
Schools grade C−. The districts serving Surprise sit at the 62nd pct within-state proficiency percentile, with a 91% graduation rate and a 19.6 student–teacher ratio. Surprise is served by Dysart Unified District (4243), Nadaburg Unified School District (4252) and Wickenburg Unified District. Proficiency is only ever compared inside the same state.
How long is the commute from Surprise?
The mean commute is 30.2 min, with 53% of workers travelling under 30 minutes and 20% working from home. Transit density is 0.0 stops per square mile.
Can you walk anywhere in Surprise?
Within two miles there are 0 groceries, 0 restaurants and cafés and 27 parks, which grades F on amenities.
Are the homes in Surprise old or new?
The median home in Surprise was built in 2005 — newer 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. 87% 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.