What is the cost of living in Tucson?

Tucson has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 96.9, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 91.8, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,402/month.

What is the median salary in Tucson?

The median salary in Tucson is $66,393 annually (mean: $70,539). Top occupations include General and Operations Managers, Retail Salespersons, Home Health and Personal Care Aides.

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

What are the schools like in Tucson?

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 Tucson?

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

Is Tucson a good place to relocate?

Tucson has a Life Score of 45.2/100 (D), 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 middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Tucson sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Tucson ranks #310 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

Tucson, AZ

LiveAbility 42.1/100 places Tucson #310 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

96.9
Cost index (US=100): $1,402
2BR rent / mo: $66,393
Median salary: 42.1
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Tucson ranks #310 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (42.1/100), with its strongest marks in climate and low hazard.

#310
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 (5/100). 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), Tucson ranks #310 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 96.9 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,402/mo, median salary $66,393; LiveAbility Score 42.1/100, strongest in climate and low hazard.

Signature: LiveAbility 42.1/100 places Tucson #310 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 96.9 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,402/mo.

LiveAbility 42.1/100 puts Tucson in the bottom third (#310 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Tucson area is 375,520.

Tucson 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)

42 Top 80% higher than 20% 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

Tucson housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Tucson MSA; housing RPP 91.8 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,402/mo.

Studio

$967

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,081

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,402

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,950

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,245

/month

Tucson wages and employment

Tucson posts 375,520 total employment with median salary $66,393.

Median Salary

$66,393

Mean Salary

$70,539

Total Employment

375,520

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
General and Operations Managers	$83,610
Retail Salespersons	$34,530
Home Health and Personal Care Aides	$34,420
Registered Nurses	$94,110
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$31,690

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Tucson area from NCES.

Schools

2,186

Enrollment

1,103,092

Student:Teacher

17:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Tucson area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$11,301

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,667

per year

Preschool (Center)

$8,667

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Tucson's composite Life Score is 45.2/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

34/100

Weak

Wages

54/100

Average

Rent

38/100

Below average

Crime

21/100

Weak

Schools

67/100

Strong

Childcare

38/100

Below average

Environment

83/100

Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Tucson ranks #310 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 42.1/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Climate (92/100)

Climate

92
Low hazard

79
Job market

54
Housing

38
Cost of living

34
Schools

33
Safety

21
Air quality

5

What this shows Tucson's strongest dimensions are climate and low hazard; its weakest among scored dims is air quality at 5/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Tucson to

Spokane-Spokane Valley Springfield Springfield Springfield Springfield St. Cloud

Metros near Tucson on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Tucson 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

Tucson cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Tucson 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 Tucson?

Tucson runs a $66,393 median salary at a 96.9 cost index, ranking #310 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Tucson's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Tucson head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Tucson
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.