What it's like to live in Mesa
Mesa is a major city in Arizona with unemployment below the national average and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Mesa deals with crime rates above the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, hospital ratings below the national average, and a rent burden that leaves many renters stretched thin.
The good
- Low unemployment
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Crime above national average
- Air quality concerns
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High rent burden for renters
- Extreme summer heat
How Mesa compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Mesa
Based on Mesa's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$3,240
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $64,800 a year
- 52% of Mesa renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$81,600
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $40,800
- Homes cost 4.9× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 15% above US
$1,620/mo median rent
Rent is pretty middle of the road, at $1,620 a month median. Not a bargain, not a budget-buster. About typical for a city this size. Home prices run above average, with a median around $408,000. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $408,000 · 52% of renters cost-burdened
Job market▼ 14% below US
3.7% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.7%, a little below the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▲ 29% above US
424 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1306/100k · Mesa Police Department · 2025 data
Getting aroundNear US average
25 min average commute
Commutes run about average, at 24.7 minutes. Fine day to day, but it adds up over a year, and where someone lives relative to where they work starts to matter. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 19% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 105°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 41°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
7 hospitals
There are 7 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.6 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforceNear US average
33% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 33% college-educated. It's a mix of white-collar and blue-collar work, which can be an asset or a limitation depending on the field.
Schools
141 public schools inside the boundary
There are 141 public schools inside the boundary and 10 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (30 miles away). There are 5 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Mesa's strongest point is unemployment below the national average; the main tradeoffs are crime rates above the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,620/mo) equals 23% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit remote workers (19% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for people who struggle with heat.
Other places near Mesa
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