5 Arizona counties where retirement costs have increased the most

Arizona is less and less the affordable retirement paradise it used to be.

April 2, 2025

Image: A "Welcome to Arizona" sign on the highway

Arizona is a popular retirement destination, but it's getting more expensive. Wing-Chi Poon/Wikimedia Commons/CC BY-SA 2.5

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With its sprawling golf courses, general lack of snow, casinos and warm weather, Arizona has often been a place for snowbirds to flock for the winter — or end up moving to enjoy their retirement.

And while Arizona used to be an affordable paradise, increasing home prices, cost of living and dipping retirement savings have made it harder for retirees to settle in the Grand Canyon State.

Arizona’s 15 counties have been impacted differently, according to a study from the financial advice website SmartAsset. SmartAsset analyzed how housing prices have changed over the last 10 years to “determine how affordable it is to own a home in each county.” The company used 2024 data to determine changes in the cost of living, tracked changes to Social Security income over the last decade and also analyzed “average individual retirement account contributions at the county level.”

Here are the top five Arizona counties where retiring has become more expensive.

Despite being a college town, Tucson has more retirement-aged residents than college students.

Dirk DBQ/Flickr/CC BY 2.0

5. Pima County

Cost of living: 37% increase
Median home value: 105% increase

This southern Arizona county spans most of the state’s border with Mexico and includes popular destinations for retirees such as Tucson and Sahuarita. The majority of the Tohono O’odham Nation Reservation is also in Pima County.

4. Yavapai County

Cost of living: 37% increase
Median home value: 121% increase

This mountainous central Arizona county, just north of Maricopa County, is home to many popular tourist destinations, including Prescott, Cottonwood and Sedona. Despite its relatively smaller size by square mileage, it’s the fourth-most populous county in Arizona.

click to enlarge

The red rocks of Sedona are one of the main draws of Yavapai County.

Richard Eden/Getty Images

3. Pinal County

Cost of living: 37% increase
Median home value: 142% increase

This south-central Arizona county spans the outskirts of Maricopa County nearly to Tucson. Cities include Florence, Casa Grande and Maricopa.

2. Coconino County

Cost of living: 38% increase
Median home value: 130%

This large north Arizona county is an outdoor lovers paradise as it includes popular destinations such as Flagstaff, most of Grand Canyon National Park, the Petrified Forest National Park and Page, which borders Utah.

Maricopa County has a housing and cost-of-living crisis on its hands.

H Babs/Flickr/CC BY-NC-ND 2.0

1. Maricopa County

Cost of living: 38% increase
Median home value: 126%

The largest county in Arizona, Maricopa County is smack dab in the middle of the state and home to its capital, Phoenix. It includes popular suburban retirement destinations, such as Scottsdale, Paradise Valley and Mesa. Housing prices and cost of living increases have hit this area hard post-pandemic.

Morgan Fischer joined Phoenix New Times as a staff writer in July 2024, covering all things Phoenix and Arizona news. Before joining New Times, Morgan has worked as a national politics intern at The Arizona Republic and as a reporter for News21, among other positions. She holds degrees in journalism and mass communication and political science from Arizona State University, where she also attended Barrett, The Honors College.

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