What is the cost of living in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler?

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 103.3, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 121.2, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,839/month.

What is the median salary in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler?

The median salary in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler is $73,543 annually (mean: $78,031). Top occupations include General and Operations Managers, Retail Salespersons, Customer Service Representatives.

How safe is Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler?

The violent crime rate in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area is 429 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 1786 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler?

The state of AZ has 2,186 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 17:1. Charter schools make up 25.9% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler?

Infant center-based childcare in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area averages $11,301 per year. Preschool averages $8,667/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler a good place to relocate?

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler has a Life Score of 41.8/100 (F), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a below-average score, several dimensions likely pull the composite down; compare specific dimensions to see which ones.

Where does Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler ranks #357 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

LiveAbility 34.7/100 places Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler #357 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

103.3
Cost index (US=100): $1,839
2BR rent / mo: $73,543
Median salary: 34.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler ranks #357 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (34.7/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and job market.

#357
of 387 US metros · Below median: 7,582,384
metro-area population: 429
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 2,186
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: air quality (0/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler ranks #357 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 103.3 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,839/mo, median salary $73,543; LiveAbility Score 34.7/100, strongest in low hazard and job market.

Signature: LiveAbility 34.7/100 places Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler #357 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 103.3 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,839/mo.

LiveAbility 34.7/100 puts Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler in the bottom third (#357 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area is 2,342,930.

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

35 Top 93% higher than 7% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler MSA; housing RPP 121.2 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,839/mo.

Studio

$1,457

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,583

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,839

/month

3 Bedroom

$2,452

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,720

/month

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler wages and employment

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler posts 2,342,930 total employment with median salary $73,543 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$73,543

Mean Salary

$78,031

Total Employment

2,342,930

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
General and Operations Managers	$98,610
Retail Salespersons	$35,960
Customer Service Representatives	$46,410
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$36,930
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$44,950

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area from NCES.

Schools

2,186

Enrollment

1,103,092

Student:Teacher

17:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$11,301

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,667

per year

Preschool (Center)

$8,667

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler's composite Life Score is 41.8/100 (F), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

11/100

Bottom decile

Wages

78/100

Strong

Rent

13/100

Bottom decile

Crime

22/100

Weak

Schools

67/100

Strong

Childcare

39/100

Below average

Environment

82/100

Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler ranks #357 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 34.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (79/100)

Low hazard

79
Job market

78
Climate

56
Schools

33
Safety

22
Housing

13
Cost of living

11
Air quality

0

What this shows Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler's strongest dimensions are low hazard and job market; its weakest among scored dims is air quality at 0/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler to

Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater Terre Haute Texarkana Toledo Topeka Traverse City

Metros near Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler?

Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler runs a $73,543 median salary at a 103.3 cost index, ranking #357 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.