11 Arizona cities where you can buy a house for less than $300K

Housing prices have surged over the years in the once-cheap Phoenix metro area and in Flagstaff, largely due to a shortage of available housing and an influx of new residents. But there are still plenty of spots across the state where you can buy a house at an affordable price.

Personal finance website FinanceBuzz recently identified 11 Arizona locales where houses can be had for less than $300,000. The average Arizona homes sell for about $439,875, according to the site, so $300,000 is way below market for the state.

Then again, that low price comes with trade-offs. Houses in these cities and towns are affordable because not as many people want to live there. Most of the places on FinanceBuzz’s list are quiet and quaint, with not much going on in the nightlife department and limited economies. But to some, that may be the ideal scene, away from the bustle and pollution of desert city life.

Here are 11 spots where you can find a home for cheap.

Eloy

Median home price: $263,528

Smack dab in the middle of Phoenix and Tucson, only about 15,600 people live in one of Arizona’s earliest railroad towns, according to data from the 2020 U.S. Census. It’s grown by about 50% since 2000 but shrank from 2010 to 2020. Eloy is known for having a fair share of retirement communities.

Hedrick Acres

Average home price: $159,000

While it’s not a city, this Tucson neighborhood had the lowest average home prices on the entire list. That probably has to do with the fact that there aren’t a lot of houses for sale in the area anyway.

Sierra Vista

Median home price: $288,904

A small military town near the southern border with Mexico, Sierra Vista — as its name suggests — offers stellar views of the Huachuca mountain range. With an altitude similar to Prescott, it also boasts cooler temperatures than Phoenix and Tucson. According to the 2020 census, about 45,308 people live there.

Globe

Average home price: $220,949

The old mining town sits at the edge of the San Carlos Apache Reservation and the Tonto National Forest, surrounded by spiraling mountains. It’s remained cheap and sparsely populated since the early 20th century — as of 2020, a little more than 7,000 people lived there.

Yuma

Average home price: $297,000

As the crossroads to both California and Mexico, Yuma is one of the sunniest places in the sunniest state in the country. With hot sweltering weather and a major agricultural community, Yuma has a culture all its own and is home to about 100,000 — much larger than most of the cities on this list.

Safford

Average home price: $263,722

As the seat of Graham County, Safford is out in the middle of nowhere and nestled among some of Arizona’s most scenic lookouts. To its southwest is Mount Graham, a towering, beautiful mountain that is sacred to local Apache peoples. To its northeast is the Gila Box Riparian National Conservation Area, a critical waterway.

Douglas

Average home price: $158,459

Stradling the border across from Mexico’s Agua Prieta, Douglas is super cheap — the lowest-priced average home on the entire list. The town of 15,000 has a small but vibrant local arts community and is known for its Mexican food.

Coolidge

Average home price: $280,458

The town, located in rural Pinal County near both Casa Grande and Eloy, was dependent on cotton and mining until the 1950s, and it hasn’t grown a whole lot since. Its nearest major landmark is the Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.

San Luis

Average home price: $232,801

As one of Arizona’s biggest ports of entry, San Luis is known for agriculture and trade and is located right on the border. It’s also known for being extremely safe despite stereotypical notions about the borderlands.

Mayer

Median home price: $297,822

Mayer is seriously tiny, with an estimated population of about 1,500 as of the 2020 census. For most, it’s a stop on the way to Prescott, but for someone looking to get away from crowded city spaces, it could be home. It’s also located near Arcosanti, the fascinating experimental town constructed in 1970 and where a handful of artists live today.

Nogales

Median home price: $283,000

Not to be confused with its much larger sister city across the border in Mexico, Arizona’s Nogales is home to about 20,000 people — mostly families, including some whose families live on the other side of the wall. It’s a central port for trade and also does not charge residents a property tax.