What it's like to live in Nogales
Nogales is a small city in Arizona with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Nogales deals with county unemployment above the national average, household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, and college degree attainment below the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
The not so good
- Above-average unemployment in the county
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Low college degree attainment
- High student-teacher ratio
- High poverty rate
How Nogales compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Nogales
Based on Nogales's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,474
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $29,480 a year
- 41% of Nogales renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$37,260
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,630
- Homes cost 4.3× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 48% below US
$737/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $737 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $186,300. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $186,300 · 41% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
6.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Santa Cruz County is 6.8%, well above the national average of 4.3%. Moving with a job already lined up matters more here. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Santa Cruz County (county-wide)
Safety▼ 24% below US
250 violent crimes per 100k
Pretty safe, all things considered. Violent crime sits below the national average, nothing alarming, just ordinary city-life awareness.
Property crime 3042/100k · Nogales Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 33% below US
18 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 17.5 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 7% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 94°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 35°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 51% below US
18% bachelor's degree or higher
This is a working-class city, and college degree rates reflect that. Trades, manufacturing, and service industries tend to dominate the local economy, which is a strength for some fields and a real constraint for others.
Schools
15 public schools inside the boundary
There are 15 public schools inside the boundary and 4 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 22:1, above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Tumacácori National Historical Park (16 miles away). There are 3 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Nogales's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are county unemployment above the national average and household incomes below the national average. A year of median rent ($737/mo) equals 20% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes. It may be a harder fit for anyone moving without a job lined up and anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near Nogales
All Arizona guides →Moving to Green Valley →
34 mi away · pop. 22,114
Rent $1,171/mo · Income $62,063
Compare with Nogales →Moving to Sierra Vista →
39 mi away · pop. 45,155
Rent $1,150/mo · Income $70,291
Compare with Nogales →Not sure Nogales is the one?
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