My family and I have lived in Tucson, Arizona eight years. While there are significant financial drawbacks to living in the desert, there are also 8 financial benefits of living in Tucson. One of them used to be the low housing costs, but like everywhere in the country, housing prices here are rising rapidly. Our house has doubled in value in the eight years we have owned it. While housing may no longer be as affordable, living in Tucson will save you money in other ways.
Financial Benefits of Living in Tucson
In no particular order, here are the 8 financial benefits of living in Tucson that my family most appreciates.
Wardrobe
From March to late November, you can wear shorts and sandals. Sure, you may need a light sweater at the end of November or early March, but for the most part, you simply need a summer wardrobe. We only get to break out the sweaters and sweatshirts about two months of the year (December and January), so there’s no need to buy many of them. Although I see a few people in winter jackets during the colder months, most people are comfortable with a light jacket. You’ll never need winter boots, hats, gloves, or scarves here.
Not having to buy clothing for four distinct seasons can save a lot of money.
Groceries
Thanks to Tucson’s close proximity to Mexico and California, we reap significant savings on groceries, especially fresh produce. In addition, unlike some areas where one grocery chain monopolizes the market, we have several grocery chains here with multiple locations. You can shop at Sprout’s, Natural Grocer’s, Whole Foods, Trader Joe’s, Safeway, or Basha’s. Unfortunately, we don’t have an Aldi here.
No Natural Disasters
I like to call Tucson a no-weather zone. For the most part, Tucson is hot and dry. In July and August, we have the monsoon season. During this time, Tucson gets quick, intense bursts of rain. Our only other regular period of rain is in December, though the rain that falls during that time is much lighter than the monsoon rains.
That’s it. There are no hurricanes, no tornadoes, and no hail storms. In the eight years I’ve been here, there was one freak F1 tornado which did no damage and two small hail storms with hail the size of a pea. That’s it. Flooding is extremely rare.
Your home insurance will be cheaper than much of the nation’s because we don’t have to deal with catastrophic weather and the property damage that can occur.
Lawn Maintenance
You’ll save a bundle on lawn maintenance in Tucson because no one has grass here! Almost all of the yards here are filled with rocks to save on water usage. You won’t need a lawnmower or a snowblower. You won’t need a rake because the leaves on the trees here don’t fall until December, and even then, you don’t end up with a pile of leaves in your yard.
You won’t have to do anything to your yard except pull weeds during the rainy seasons. You could pay for a lawn service to spray your weeds, but that’s all you’ll need. You could also pay for a pest control company because scorpions are rampant here. Other than that, you’ll have no other lawn expenses. We don’t pay for yard maintenance, preferring to pull the weeds ourselves.
Property Taxes
Speaking of ways you can save on housing expenses, don’t forget Tucson’s low property taxes.
We moved to Tucson from the western suburbs of Chicago. There, property taxes for the suburb where we rented, Oak Park, were 2.76%. If you owned a $300,000 house (and good luck finding one that cheap!), your property taxes would be over $8,000 a year.
In Tucson, according to Kiplinger, property taxes average about $1,019 per $100,000 of home value. On a $300,000 house, you would pay approximately $3,057, which I find accurate.
Car Registration
In addition to low property taxes, car registration in Arizona is CHEAP. Arizona uses a value-based approach to car registration. You can learn about the formula the state uses here. We have 17 and 9-year-old vehicles, and we pay approximately $200 for vehicle registration total.
Free Entertainment
Another perk of living in Tucson is the free outdoor entertainment. Tucson has many hiking trails and biking paths, which residents use evenings and weekends. This location is great for outdoor enthusiasts.
You can also visit places like Mission San Xavier del Bac, which is free but does appreciate donations. Another fun, free thing to do is driving the Mt. Lemmon Scenic Byway. As a bonus, Mt. Lemmon offers a way to beat the desert heat all summer long because it’s generally about 30 degrees cooler than Tucson.
Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA)
If you’re a member of the military, if you live in a D or F-rated school district, or if your child has a documented disability, your child may be eligible for an Empowerment Scholarship Account (ESA) through the state of Arizona. This scholarship gives your child from 1st through 12th grade at least $6,400 a year to use for private school tuition or homeschool curriculum. In addition, you can use the money for therapies (only for students with documented disabilities) and for extracurricular activities.
Our children have dyslexia, and we would not have been able to afford a Barton Reading & Spelling tutor without ESA. After two years of tutoring, our children have above-average vocabulary and reading abilities.
Final Thoughts
If you can handle the extreme heat and love outdoor activities, Tucson may be just the place for you. Although some aspects of desert living are expensive such as your monthly air conditioning bill, you’ll save money with these 8 financial benefits of living in Tucson.
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Melissa is a writer and virtual assistant. She earned her Master’s from Southern Illinois University, and her Bachelor’s in English from the University of Michigan. When she’s not working, you can find her homeschooling her kids, reading a good book, or cooking. She resides in Arizona where she dislikes the summer heat but loves the natural beauty of the area.