Cost of Living
per year
per month
How Scottsdale's prices compare to the US city average across major spending categories.
How far does your salary go in Scottsdale?
Your $100,000 in Scottsdale has the same purchasing power as $90,959 in the average US city. You'd need $9,041 more here to maintain that standard of living.
Demographics and workforce data from the US Census ACS 5-Year.
bachelor's or higher
Climate, safety, and walkability indicators.
See a side-by-side breakdown of cost of living, housing, and salaries.
Popular comparisons
Sorted by affordability — most affordable first.
Within 10 points of Scottsdale's cost index of 110, sorted by closest match.
People moving to Scottsdale usually have at least one specific reason. Most of them line up with what the data shows: a higher-income labor market than the national norm, low unemployment, plenty of openings, plus 3 more things worth knowing. Here's what's actually on the table.
Median household income in Scottsdale is $104,197, a step above the national median of about $75k. The local job market leans toward industries that pay better than average, and that shows up in the take-home for most working households here.
At about 3.5% unemployment, Scottsdale's labor market is running on the tight side. Easier to land a role, easier to negotiate, easier to leave one job for a better one — the practical things that matter when you're actually looking.
Scottsdale reports about 2,475 crime incidents per 100,000 residents — a step below the US average of around 3,500. The citywide number averages over neighborhoods that can vary a lot, but the headline number is friendlier than most American cities of comparable size.
The average one-way commute in Scottsdale is about 21 minutes — short by US standards (the national average is closer to 27). Over a year of working days, that's hundreds of hours that don't get spent in traffic, which is the kind of thing you notice in the weekend rather than the weekday.
61% of adults 25 and over in Scottsdale hold a bachelor's degree or higher — meaningfully above the US average of around 36%. That correlates with the things you'd expect: stronger schools, more white-collar employers, more bookstores than the population alone would predict.
Reasons are pulled from Scottsdale's actual data — Census ACS, BLS, BEA, NOAA, EPA AQS, FBI, and Walk Score. We don't list positives that aren't supported by the numbers, which is why different cities show different sections.
Almost never. Scottsdale's winter average of about 47°F is too warm for snow most years. A measurable snowfall is the kind of event that closes schools and gets photographed for the local paper.
Barely. Winter in Scottsdale averages around 47°F — short, mild, mostly an excuse to break out a light jacket. Some plants don't even drop their leaves.
Genuinely hot. Summer in Scottsdale averages about 105°F, and peak afternoons run well over a hundred. Outdoor plans move to mornings and evenings; AC is the most-used appliance in the house.
Zone 10, give or take a half-zone. Scottsdale's typical winter low puts it in that band on the USDA Hardiness map, which is what nurseries label plants against. Use Zone 10 as your starting filter; the USDA's interactive map is more precise for borderline cases.
Scottsdale sits at about 2,434 feet (742 m) — meaningfully higher than coastal cities, but not high enough to noticeably affect breathing or cooking.
Average for an American city. Scottsdale's reported crime rate of about 2,475 per 100,000 residents sits roughly in line with the US baseline of ~3,500. Like anywhere else, the citywide number masks real differences between neighborhoods — worth looking at specific areas before deciding.
Roughly average. Scottsdale's cost-of-living index is 110, putting it in the band where rent, groceries, and utilities track the national norm. Not a bargain, not a premium.
Not really — Scottsdale is built around the car. Its Walk Score of 0 out of 100 means almost every errand is a drive. Transit Score is 0 out of 100. Living without a car is technically possible but real work; most residents wouldn't try it.
Roughly $76,958 a year would match the lifestyle of someone earning $70,000 in an average US city. That's a starting point, not a target — negotiate higher when you can. Median rent in Scottsdale runs about $1,768/mo — keeping housing under 30% of gross income points to a similar floor on what you'd want to earn.