Cost comparison
Compare rent, housing, utilities, groceries, salary needs, and move score across the city profiles currently available in LifeAtlas.
Arizona
Tempe is a college and urban rental market in Arizona, useful for starter comparisons around rent, housing, utilities, wages, benefits, insurance, and moving costs.
Arizona
Mesa is the East Valley family and commuter market in Arizona, promoted in source-ready batch 01 for comparisons around housing, wages, utilities, taxes, benefits, and moving costs.
Comparison
Tempe has the lower salary-needed estimate, while Mesa has the lower starter rent. Differences are shown as Mesa minus Tempe.
| Metric | Tempe | Mesa | Difference | Advantage | Why |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,661 | $1,500 | -$161 | Mesa | Mesa has the lower median rent. |
| Home price | $468,328 | $405,000 | -$63,328 | Mesa | Mesa has the lower home price. |
| Utilities | $216/mo | $210/mo | -$6/mo | Mesa | Mesa has the lower utilities. |
| Groceries index | 105 | 103 | -2 | Mesa | Mesa has the lower groceries index. |
| Salary needed | $63,000 | $70,000 | +$7,000 | Tempe | Tempe has the lower salary needed. |
| Move score | 78/100 | 74/100 | -4 | Tempe | Tempe has the higher move score. |