How Much Does It Cost to Live In Tucson, AZ?
Tucson is the second-largest city in the state of Arizona.
Downtown had been transformed over the last several years.
Now it’s one of the “happening places” in Tucson.
There are plenty of activities, bars, pubs, and restaurants, with great access and parking.
The weather is all around good, and the winters are very pleasant during the day.
The cost of living is very reasonable in Tucson and housing (rental or owning) is relatively low when compared to the country.
United States : Cost of Living by City
- Albany, NY
- Albuquerque, NM
- Anchorage, AK
- Ann Arbor, MI
- Arlington, TX
- Asheville, NC
- Atlanta, GA
- Austin, TX
- Bakersfield, CA
- Baltimore, MD
- Bellevue, WA
- Bellingham, WA
- Berkeley, CA
- Birmingham, AL
- Boise, ID
- Boston, MA
- Boulder, CO
- Brooklyn, NY
- Buffalo, NY
- Burlington, VT
- Charleston, SC
- Charlotte, NC
- Chattanooga, TN
- Chicago, IL
- Cincinnati, OH
- Cleveland, OH
- Columbia, SC
- Columbus, OH
- Dallas, TX
- Dayton, OH
- Denver, CO
- Des Moines, IA
- Detroit, MI
- El Paso, TX
- Eugene, OR
- Everett, WA
- Fayetteville, AR
- Fort Myers, FL
- Fort Wayne, IN
- Fort Worth, TX
- Fresno, CA
- Gainesville, FL
- Grand Rapids, MI
- Greensboro, NC
- Hartford, CT
- Honolulu, HI
- Houston, TX
- Huntsville, AL
- Indianapolis, IN
- Irvine, CA
- Jacksonville, FL
- Jersey City, NJ
- Kansas City, MO
- Knoxville, TN
- Las Vegas, NV
- Lexington, KY
- Little Rock, AR
- Long Beach, CA
- Los Angeles, CA
- Louisville, KY
- Lubbock, TX
- Madison, WI
- Memphis, TN
- Miami, FL
- Milwaukee, WI
- Minneapolis, MN
- Nashville, TN
- New Orleans, LA
- New York, NY
- Oakland, CA
- Oklahoma City, OK
- Olympia, WA
- Orlando, FL
- Peoria, IL
- Philadelphia, PA
- Phoenix, AZ
- Pittsburgh, PA
- Portland, ME
- Portland, OR
- Raleigh, NC
- Reno, NV
- Richmond, VA
- Rochester, NY
- Sacramento, CA
- Saint Louis, MO
- Saint Paul, MN
- Saint Petersburg, FL
- Salem, OR
- Salt Lake City, UT
- San Antonio, TX
- San Diego, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Santa Barbara, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Seattle, WA
- Spokane, WA
- Springfield, MO
- Syracuse, NY
- Tacoma, WA
- Tallahassee, FL
- Tampa, FL
- Toledo, OH
- Tucson, AZ
- Tulsa, OK
- Vancouver, WA
- Virginia Beach, VA
- Washington, DC
- West Palm Beach, FL
- Wichita, KS
RESTAURANTS
Pretty much anything you want when it comes to food, you can find.
That said, the one thing Tucson is short on is German restaurants.
Obviously, there are tons of Mexican restaurants ranging from regular family restaurants to fine dining.
Also, there are literally dozens of sushi restaurants.
The prices are reasonable – you can have a delicious meal in an inexpensive restaurant for around 14$.
MARKETS
When it comes to buying food at supermarkets, it is definitely cheaper than eating out regularly.
The plus side also is that you know exactly what you’re eating.
Minimal grocery items average about 315$ per month.
Tucson has all the regular supermarkets, shops and even farmer’s markets so you’ll definitely find what you’re looking for.
TRANSPORTATION
Tucson is a bike-friendly city and has an extensive system of bike routes and paths so this is an excellent way to save some money you would otherwise spend on transport.
Apart from that, it also has an extensive metropolitan bus system, Sun Tran which is relatively cheap: a one-way ticket costs around 1.75$ while a monthly pass costs less than 40$.
UTILITIES (MONTHLY)
Fuel, electricity, and other services that fall under the category of utilities are unfathomably high in Tucson!
Utilities are almost twice as expensive as in other cities.
This is due to the fact that in the summer, air conditioning bills can be outrageously expensive.
In the winter, on the other hand, there is little need for heat, so utilities are extremely low.
SPORTS & LEISURE
Cycling is a very popular sport in Tucson. It’s actually one of the few Platinum-rated communities for road cycling.
Hiking is another great easy-to-access outing in the Tucson area.
Since Tucson is surrounded by mountains on all four sides, hiking areas, and trails are abundant.
For an indoor round of exercise, membership in a gym or a fitness club will cost you around 36$.
CLOTHING & SHOES
Shopping is on par with most other major cities.
Tucson has two nice malls, one premium outdoor mall in the foothills, one outlet mall, and one new-ish premium outlet mall.
If you can’t find what you’re looking for here, Phoenix is only 1 1/2 hours away.
Quality jeans like Levi’s cost around 52$, while a pair of quality running shoes from brands like Nike cost around 95$.
RENT PER MONTH
The homes are reasonable and rents are cheap.
A two-bedroom two-bath newer home with a two-car garage is around 2,783.33 $ a month to rent, which is also unbelievably cheap.
It all depends on where you want to live and how big you want your apartment to be.
An apartment outside of the city center will be closer to 1,036.83 $ while one in the center will cost you 1370$ – not much of a difference!
Cost of Living Averages Table for Tucson, AZ
*Note: All prices are indicated in USD.| Average Restaurant Prices | |
|---|---|
| Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) | $27.50 |
| Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) | $6.00 |
| Water (0.33 Liter) | $1.81 | Average Market Prices |
| Milk (1 Liter) | $0.94 |
| Loaf Bread (500g) | $3.04 |
| Eggs (12) | $5.73 | Average Transport Prices |
| One Way Ticket | $1.75 |
| Monthly Pass | $40.00 |
| Gasoline | $1.01 | Average Utilities Prices |
| Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) | $286.26 |
| 1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local | $0.11 |
| Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) | $78.61 | Average Leisure Prices |
| Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult | $36.66 |
| Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) | $28.75 |
| Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release | $12.00 | Average Clothing Prices |
| 1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) | $51.59 |
| 1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) | $39.0 |
| 1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) | $94.75 | Average Rent Prices |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center | $1371.43 |
| Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center | $1036.83 |
| Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center | $2783.33 |
How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Tucson, AZ?
Food is definitely how the average person in Tucson spends the biggest part of their salary.
An average person living in Tucson, and having to feed his/her family, spends the biggest amount of their money in supermarkets and grocery stores.
The next thing that draws the biggest bulk of the money from the people of Tucson is definitely rent.
The fact that rent is a smaller expense than food, in most cases just testifies to the fact that rent is pretty low for US standards.
Restaurants and transportation are also significant expenses for an average person living in this city.
Average Costs Breakdown
Tucson, AZ: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages
The job market is the only thing that could be considered a con among the pros of this city.
The major employers are Raytheon and U of A.
Tucson is still considered a tourist town and the jobs reflect it.
However, the average monthly net salary is well above 4100$ which allows for residents of Tucson to live without having to worry about their existence.
The minimum wage in Tucson is around 1900$ which is definitely reasonable and surely enough to be able to cover all of your costs in this popular city.
Tucson Safety Overview
READ THE FULL REPORT: Tucson Safety Review
Safety Index:
- OVERALL RISK: MEDIUM
- TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISK: LOW
- PICKPOCKETS RISK: MEDIUM
- NATURAL DISASTERS RISK: MEDIUM
- MUGGING RISK: MEDIUM
- TERRORISM RISK: LOW
- SCAMS RISK: LOW
- WOMEN TRAVELERS RISK: MEDIUM
