What it's like to live in Surprise
Surprise is a mid-size city in Arizona with household incomes running above the national average, crime rates well below the national average, and a population that has grown fast since 2020. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Surprise deals with rent well above the national average, home prices well above the national average, commute times longer than most cities, and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks.
The good
- Higher-than-average incomes
- Low crime rates
- Fast-growing population
The not so good
- Rent well above the national average
- High home prices
- Above-average commute times
- Air quality concerns
- High student-teacher ratio
- High rent burden for renters
How Surprise compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Surprise
Based on Surprise's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$4,066
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $81,320 a year
- 53% of Surprise renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$87,020
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $43,510
- Homes cost 4.5× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▲ 44% above US
$2,033/mo median rent
Rent is expensive here, at $2,033 a month median and well above the national average. This is the kind of city where housing costs deserve serious budgeting before committing to a move. Home prices run above average, with a median around $435,100. Buyers should expect to stretch their budget here.
Median home value $435,100 · 53% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
3.9% unemployment
Unemployment here is 3.9%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 74% below US
86 violent crimes per 100k
Safety is genuinely one of the selling points here. Both violent and property crime run well below the national average, the kind of numbers that fade into the background after a week of living somewhere.
Property crime 781/100k · Surprise Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▲ 16% above US
30 min average commute
Traffic is a real factor here. The 30.2 minute average means plenty of commuters are pushing 45 to 60 minutes on a bad day. Proximity to work matters more here than it might elsewhere. 8 in 10 workers drive to work; 20% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 103°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 40°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
2 hospitals
There are 2 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 15% below US
31% bachelor's degree or higher
Education levels run about average, with 31% 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
34 public schools inside the boundary
There are 34 public schools inside the boundary and 2 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 20:1, slightly above the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Casa Grande Ruins National Monument (71 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
Surprise's strongest points are household incomes running above the national average and crime rates well below the national average; the main tradeoffs are rent well above the national average and home prices well above the national average. A year of median rent ($2,033/mo) equals 25% of the median household income here, more than the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit anyone prioritizing low crime and remote workers (20% of workers here already work from home). It may be a harder fit for renters on a tight budget and people who struggle with heat.
Other places near Surprise
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