Is one Phoenix valley city more expensive to live than another?
When someone is relocating to Arizona, I liken it to drinking out of a firehose. There is so much information, both qualitative and quantitative, to digest (or swallow) that it is an overwhelming task. Many future home buyers want to know about property tax differences between cities. But nobody ever asks about the difference between the overall tax burden including utilities. The Arizona Republic published an article on April 4, 2010 that attempts to compare the cumulative effect of taxes and fees for some of the major Phoenix valley cities.
| City Property | ||||||
| Municipality | Tax Rate * | Sales tax** | Garbage | Water *** | Sewer | Total |
| Gilbert | $1.15 ($234) | 1.5% (7.8%) | $17.30 | $31.13 | $24.93 | $1,646 |
| Chandler | $1.18 ($233) | 1.5% (7.8%) | $15.07 | $32.56 | $19.97 | $1,650 |
| Tempe | $1.40 ($274) | 1.8% (8.1%) | $19.98 | $30.29 | $23.68 | $1,799 |
| Mesa | $0.30 ($61) | 1.75% (8.05%) | $23.88 | $52.48 | $30.19 | $1,862 |
| Scottsdale | $0.74 ($143) | 1.65% (7.95%) | $15.89 | $51.81 | $39.11 | $2,007 |
| Surprise | $0.57 (80) | 2.2% (8.5%) | $16.63 | $51.14 | $24.78 | $2,041 |
| Peoria | $1.44 ($289) | 1.8% (8.1%) | $15.06 | $40.87 | $24.56 | $2,092 |
| Phoenix | $1.82 ($353) | 2% (8.3%) | $26.85 | $40.96 | $31.53 | $2,208 |
| Glendale | $1.60 ($319) | 2.2% (8.5%) | $16.30 | $40.94 | $37.79 | $2,310 |
| Avondale | $1.11 ( $283) | 2.5% (8.8%) | $19.00 | $42.05 | $44.29 | $2,422 |
| * Combined annual municipal primary and secondary taxes per $100 assessed value for a $250,000 home.** Sales tax for individual municipality. % in parentheses is the combined city and state tax. | ||||||
| *** Based on 15,000 gallons per month usage. | ||||||
Continue reading “Comparing Phoenix Area Cities’ Taxes and Utilities”
