Research / Rent vs. buy / Arizona / Tucson

Rent or buy in Tucson?
Renting is $831 a month cheaper.

Renting the typical home in Tucson costs $831 less a month than owning it. Counting equity, price growth and what a renter could earn by investing the difference, buying comes out ahead in year 28.

Updated November 12, 2026 · Zillow data for September 2026 · 7.11% mortgage rate (Freddie Mac, November 12, 2026) · Rank 154 of 339 (1 = owning closest to renting) · Part of our 2026 rent vs. buy study

Monthly cost to own$2,259typical home, 20% down
Typical monthly rent$1,428Zillow, September 2026
Buying breaks evenYear 283.5% price growth
Cash needed to buy$73,315$318,760 home · 20% down + 3% closing
Income needed to own$90,352vs. $57,120 to rent · 30% rule

Where the monthly money goes.

The first-month cost of owning the typical Tucson home, split into its parts, against the typical rent. About $205 of the first mortgage payment is principal, which you keep as equity.

The median household income in Tucson is $57,073 (Census ACS 2020–2024). Owning the typical home would take 47% of it; renting would take 30%.

As a check with a larger rental, HUD's FY2027 Fair Market Rent for a three-bedroom home in the Tucson, AZ MSA area is $1,946 a month, still $313 below the cost of owning.

  • Mortgage principal & interest $1,715
  • Property tax $178
  • Home insurance $100
  • Maintenance $266

How long you would need to stay.

Net worth of a buyer compared with a renter who invests the down payment, closing costs and any monthly savings at 6% a year. Home values and rents grow 3.5% a year; selling costs 6%.

Change the assumptions

Buying vs. renting in Tucson, by years in the home
StayResult
3 yearsRenting ahead by $33,643
5 yearsRenting ahead by $36,620
7 yearsRenting ahead by $39,228
10 yearsRenting ahead by $42,193
15 yearsRenting ahead by $43,360
20 yearsRenting ahead by $37,017
30 yearsBuying ahead by $19,001

Rent or buy elsewhere in Arizona.

Other large Arizona cities in the study.

All cities
PhoenixRenting $1,188/mo cheaperMesaRenting $1,373/mo cheaperGilbertRenting $1,733/mo cheaperChandlerRenting $1,585/mo cheaperGlendaleRenting $1,212/mo cheaperScottsdaleRenting $3,545/mo cheaperPeoriaRenting $1,421/mo cheaperTempeRenting $1,509/mo cheaper

More on Tucson

See the full Tucson rental market profile with Census medians, or check how a typical rental performs for an investor in our cash-flow ranking.

How we calculated this

Price is the Zillow Home Value Index and rent the Zillow Observed Rent Index for Tucson. The cost of owning includes principal and interest at 7.11% with 20% down, property tax at the city's 0.67% effective rate (Census ACS), the Arizona average homeowners premium (NAIC 2023) and 1% yearly maintenance. It leaves out income-tax effects, HOA dues and utilities. The typical rental may be smaller than the typical home for sale. Full methodology. This is a citywide estimate, not advice about a specific home.