Living in Tempe

What is the Cost of Living in Tempe?

For data on cost of living in Tempe, we can turn to “Sperling’s Best Places”. Sperling’s uses a scale for cost of living where the US average is 100. If a place is more expensive to live than the US average, it scores above 100. If it is less expensive to live than the US average, it scores below 100.

On that scale, Arizona as a whole gets a score of 102.2, while Tempe receives a score of 108.1.

While that makes Tempe more expensive than the US on average, it is actually quite a bit less expensive than many other major metropolitan areas.

Consider Los Angeles, for example, which receives a score of 173.3 on the same scale. Tempe is very reasonably priced for a big city.

There are also some areas where Tempe’s costs are less than the national average, including groceries and healthcare.

How Much Does the Average Home Cost in Tempe?

Housing, of course, is one of the biggest considerations when it comes to cost of living. How does Tempe stack up in this department?

On the same scale where 100 is the US average, the cost of housing for Arizona is 107.8, and for Tempe, it is 124. In dollar figures, the US average housing cost is $291,700. Compared to that, the cost in Tempe is $402,500.

Once again, for a major metropolitan area, that is very reasonable.

Employment in Tempe

To find information about incomes in Tempe, we can take a look at the US Census. You can see that the median household income in Tempe from 2015 through 2019 was $57,994.

Tempe is a thriving economic center, and home to major companies such as LifeLock, Insight Enterprises, and Limelight Networks. Top employers in the city include Arizona State University, State Farm Insurance, Freedom Financial Network, and JPMorgan Chase. So, there are plenty of opportunities to grow your career and earn a comfortable income when you live in Tempe.

Tempe Education

Speaking of Arizona State University, let’s talk about what you can expect with respect to schools in this area.

Various school distracts operate in Tempe, including the Tempe Union High School District, Tempe Elementary School District, Kyrene School District, Scottsdale Unified School District, and Mesa Public Schools.

Along with public schools, there are private schools and preparatory schools that students may attend.

Along with Arizona State University, other institutions of higher learning in Tempe include Rio Salado Community College, Brookline College, the University of Phoenix, Bryan University, Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, and others.

As you are also right next to Phoenix, there are additional higher education options you can consider as well such as the University of Arizona College of Medicine and Phoenix College.

Getting Around Tempe

How can you get around Tempe? For public transportation, you can take the Valley Metro Rail system or the Valley Metro buses. There also are additional options for public transit for ASU students, including Orbit and FLASH.

There are also plenty of freeways running through Tempe and Phoenix, making it easy to get around by way of car.

One interesting fact about Tempe is that currently, this is not a very walkable city, but that soon may start to change.

In 2023, Culdesac Tempe will open, which will be the first zero-driving community in the US. This project could conceivably herald the way for others, showcasing ways to change how people live and work not just in Tempe, but everywhere.

What is commuting like in Tempe? Sperling’s has some stats on that. According to the site, 5% of the population uses public transit, while 4.3% work from home (we are guessing that number has increased since the pandemic). 8.5% carpool, and 72.7% drive to work by themselves.

One nice thing about commuting to work in Tempe is that it doesn’t take that long. While the US average one-way commute time is 26.4 minutes, it is only 20.9 minutes in Tempe.

That adds up to a significant amount of time savings each day, and over the course of a week.

How is the Weather in Tempe?

If you like sunny weather, you will feel perfectly at home in Tempe, where there are 300 average days of sunlight each year. That is far more than the US average of 205 sunny days per year.

Tempe does not receive any snow, and gets only about 9 inches of rain annually.

During the summer, highs can soar to around 104 degrees Fahrenheit. During the winter, lows can hit around 42 degrees Fahrenheit. So, although you will have hot summers, you can look forward to relatively temperate winters.

The overall comfort index Sperling’s uses rates climate on a scale from 1 to 10 where 10 is “most comfortable.”

The US on average receives a score of 7 on that scale. Tempe gets a 7.4, making this location more comfortable than average.

Leisure and Entertainment in Tempe

What is there to do in Tempe? This city is a major home for arts and culture, with the Tempe Center for the Arts, a thriving public art program, the Tempe Music Walk, and a number of popular local bands.

Other popular attractions in and around Tempe include the Tempe History Museum, the Arizona State University Desert Arboretum Park, and Rio Salado Park.

There are, of course, also many restaurants, bars, nightclubs and shops to enjoy throughout the area.