2.69/5
85 reviews
Photo by Jim Witkowski via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Tucson, AZ

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great

downtown

hiking

activities

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cost

outdoors

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mexico

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Tucson is considered a great city for remote workers and digital nomads who value affordability and outdoor activities. The cost of living is very low, even in the more desirable downtown areas, making it an appealing option for those earning from outside the area. The internet is fast, and there are new coworking spaces and bike share programs supporting a nomad lifestyle. Tucson offers excellent outdoor opportunities including mountain biking, hiking, and climbing, especially near downtown and the western outskirts by the mountains.

Most reviewers highlight that while Tucson lacks the large social nomad scene of major cities, it makes up for it with a calm, manageable vibe and easy access to nature. The nightlife and fun scene are strong but mainly limited to the downtown core. Public transit is solid, and bikes are a good option for getting around without a car. However, the city becomes extremely hot during the summer months and is best avoided during that time. Some areas beyond downtown can feel like dull urban sprawl, but they offer cheaper housing. Overall, Tucson is a good choice for nature lovers wanting a quieter nomad experience with good infrastructure.

AI-generated summary of reviews

I agree with one of the previous reviews. Tucson is a great place for outdoor activities, hiking, rock climbing, etc. Yes it's hot in the summer, but monsoon rains are magnificent when they come. The cost of living is lower than a lot of other areas in the country, and as a woman I've never felt particularly unsafe.

3 years ago

I’m not sure about how accurate nomadslist really is. When I search for locations in the USA with good hiking what comes up first? Atlanta. Second is NYC. Huh?
I think Tucson is a great city for the nomad who likes a bit of quiet. It’s small enough to be cozy but big enough that you can find everything you need. Want to party non stop and socialize with other nomads? Probably not your number one choice. Want good weather most of the year and lower cost of living? Love hiking, nature and being outdoors? This is a great location. Summer is HOT. Avoid. Otherwise it’s mostly sunny and dry. If you have a car and like road trips on your time off you can go north to the Grand Canyon and on to Utah or east to New Mexico. California and Mexico are short drives away too.
There’s some great food especially Mexican food and a few really fun breweries. There are bike paths around town and tons of trails for hiking.
Actually ignore all I said. I like having Tucson to myself! Lots of silver haired snowbirds know about it but the younger nomads haven’t really figured it out yet.

4 years ago

IMO Tucson is a great nomad city! Cost of living is insanely low even to live downtown, so assuming you're being paid by a company based elsewhere your money will go a lot further in Tucson. Recently three new coworking spaces opened downtown, which has been cool to see, as it feels like the city is starting to become supportive of all the remote workers living here. Plus it's an outdoors paradise so there's that!

6 years ago

I'm not sure where all the low ratings on "fun" and "nightlife" are coming from: there is tons to do here wrt outdoors AND cultural activities, and it's much easier to get to it than in a larger city.

If you are carfree, public transit is available and reliable, as are bikeshares. Cabs are pricey, and I don't have a clue about Uber because I don't use it.

Stay on the west side if you can, near the mountains.

6 years ago

Unless you are here in summer (mid-May through end of Sep) when temps are 100F/38C, this city is one of the best in the US IMO. It is easy to get around without a car if you live near the downtown (and there is a cheap bike share available). Internet is fast, nightlife is great and outdoor activities (hiking in mountains, road/mountain biking) are abundant. Living outside of downtown (outside of the neighborhoods labeled as South Tucson and Bario Viejo on the map) can turn into dull urban sprawl but the housing is cheaper there. The Scores indicate bad scores for fun & nightlife--the only way this is true if you are outside of downtown.

6 years ago

Tucson is great! That is all.

7 years ago

✅ Very affordable

✅ Fast internet

✅ Good public transit

✅ Excellent outdoor activities

✅ Mild weather most of the year

✅ Good nightlife (downtown)

✅ Pretty safe

✅ Warm now

✅ Warm in the spring

✅ Perfect humidity now

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Nomads.com members liked going here a lot

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Everyone speaks English

✅ Family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

❌ Extremely hot summers

❌ Dull urban sprawl outside downtown

❌ Very expensive

❌ Not much to do

❌ Very hot in the summer

❌ Very dry air now

❌ Not many Nomads.com members go here

❌ Difficult to make friends

❌ Not safe for women

❌ High alcohol consumption

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels

63 17°
cool

68 20°
mild

64 18°
cool

75 24°
warm

79 26°
warm

86 30°
warm

88 31°
hot

91 33°
hot

86 30°
warm

75 24°
warm

66 19°
mild

Real

61 16°
cool

66 19°
mild

64 18°
cool

81 27°
warm

86 30°
very warm

93 34°
hot

91 33°
hot

94 35°
hot

90 32°
hot

79 26°
warm

75 24°
warm

65 19°
mild

Humidity

too dry
13%

too dry
12%

too dry
11%

too dry
7%

too dry
6%

too dry
7%

too dry
26%

too dry
23%

too dry
15%

too dry
12%

too dry
22%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

Rain

dry
30mm

dry
9mm

dry
20mm

dry
6mm

dry
2mm

dry
4mm

dry
18mm

dry
36mm

dry
26mm

dry
8mm

dry
1mm

dry
29mm

Cloud

pockets
11%

clear
7%

clear
4%

pockets
11%

pockets
30%

pockets
24%

pockets
15%

clear
8%

pockets
11%

pockets
17%

Air quality

clean
28 US AQI

clean
23 US AQI

clean
21 US AQI

clean
23 US AQI

clean
25 US AQI

clean
23 US AQI

clean
22 US AQI

clean
21 US AQI

clean
20 US AQI

clean
30 US AQI

clean
28 US AQI

Sun

seek shade
4 UVI

seek shade
5 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
11 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
6 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

seek shade
3 UVI

Remote workers

289 people

320 people

375 people

200 people

314 people

240 people

200 people

300 people

200 people

400 people

425 people

433 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Tucson's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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Help pick the best photos for Tucson and improve this page's look by tappingclicking on them and the site saves your feedback Vote photos

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🌇 Also went here22 people

Members here right now

No members are here right now. If you are, add it as a trip and you'll show up here!

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Not all nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

⭐️ Total score	2.69/5 (Rank #238) 85 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍8 liked it 👎0 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Good
🎒 Community score	Okay
💵 Cost	🧐 Pricey: $3,825 / mo
📡 Internet	🚀 Super fast: 116Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Bad
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🌞 Perfect: 24°C75°F (feels 24°C75°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	🌵 Too dry: 30%
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 22 US AQI
👌 Safety	Good
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Good
🤝 Lack of racism*	Good
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Good
💰 Income level*	Very high: $4,817 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Great
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Bad
🏥 Hospitals	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Bad
📶 Free WiFi in city	Good
🖥 Places to work from	Good
❄️ A/C or heating	Great
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Great
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Good
👩 Female friendly	Bad
🌈 LGBTQ+ friendly	Great
🎅 Startup Score	Okay

🌍 Continent	North America
🚩 Country	United States
🗓️ Average trip length	14 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	116 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	☀️ 24°C 75°F + 🌵 Too dry (30%) = feels 24°C 75°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 22 US AQI
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🧔 Best neighborhood to stay	Las Vistas
🚀 Upcoming neighborhood	Palo Verde
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 Tipping	Yes, 15%
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
💻 Best coworking space	Connect
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
♻️ Return rate	👍11% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	530,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$57,808 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 48% 👱‍♀️ 52%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 52% 👱‍♀️ 48%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 76% 👱‍♀️ 24%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Amazon
🏠 Apartment listings	Craigslist
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	United
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	United

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$3,825 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$2,309 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$5,028 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$1,437 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$2,071 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,054 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$920 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$97 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$67 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$193 / month
🍛 Dinner	$19
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$2
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$6
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$5
👩‍🏫 International school	$11,667 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$18 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$5 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$12,352
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$30,278
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$71,127