What is the cost of living in Yuma?

Yuma has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 92.7, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 73.8, which is below the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,382/month.

What is the median salary in Yuma?

The median salary in Yuma is $60,787 annually (mean: $64,107). Top occupations include Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse, Cashiers, Retail Salespersons.

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

What are the schools like in Yuma?

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 Yuma?

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

Is Yuma a good place to relocate?

Yuma has a Life Score of 45.5/100 (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 Yuma sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Yuma ranks #308 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

Yuma, AZ

LiveAbility 42.3/100 places Yuma #308 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

92.7
Cost index (US=100): $1,382
2BR rent / mo: $60,787
Median salary: 42.3
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Yuma ranks #308 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (42.3/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and cost of living.

#308
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: safety (21/100). 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), Yuma ranks #308 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 92.7 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,382/mo, median salary $60,787; LiveAbility Score 42.3/100, strongest in low hazard and cost of living.

Signature: LiveAbility 42.3/100 places Yuma #308 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power sits mid-band: BEA RPP 92.7 between corpus terciles 91.5 and 97.0. Median 2BR rent $1,382/mo.

LiveAbility 42.3/100 puts Yuma in the bottom third (#308 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Yuma area is 61,240.

Yuma 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

Yuma housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Yuma MSA; housing RPP 73.8 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,382/mo.

Studio

$1,046

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,053

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,382

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,892

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,318

/month

Yuma wages and employment

Yuma posts 61,240 total employment with median salary $60,787.

Median Salary

$60,787

Mean Salary

$64,107

Total Employment

61,240

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Farmworkers and Laborers, Crop, Nursery, and Greenhouse	$34,610
Cashiers	$31,790
Retail Salespersons	$33,840
General and Operations Managers	$79,990
Fast Food and Counter Workers	$30,580

Schools & Education

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

Schools

2,186

Enrollment

1,103,092

Student:Teacher

17:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

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

Infant (Center)

$11,301

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,667

per year

Preschool (Center)

$8,667

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Yuma's composite Life Score is 45.5/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

57/100

Above average

Wages

31/100

Weak

Rent

40/100

Below average

Crime

21/100

Weak

Schools

68/100

Strong

Childcare

37/100

Below average

Environment

83/100

Elite

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Yuma ranks #308 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 42.3/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (78/100)

Low hazard

78
Cost of living

57
Climate

54
Housing

40
Schools

32
Job market

31
Air quality

29
Safety

21

What this shows Yuma's strongest dimensions are low hazard and cost of living; its weakest among scored dims is safety at 21/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Yuma to

Sheboygan Sherman-Denison Shreveport-Bossier City Sierra Vista-Douglas Sioux City Sioux Falls

Metros near Yuma on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Yuma 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

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

Yuma runs a $60,787 median salary at a 92.7 cost index, ranking #308 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

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