Maricopa County · Arizona · West · 155k residents
Surprise, AZ: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Surprise: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the Arizona median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Surprise is $435,100, 13% above the Arizona median. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,940/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 111 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $96,711 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Surprise is $435,100, 13% above the median for ACS-covered places in Arizona.
- Household income: Median household income is $96,711, 26.7% above the median for ACS-covered places in Arizona.
- Adult education: 30.5% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 20.1% above the median for ACS-covered places in Arizona.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 4.5 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A West Valley desert city where spring baseball, planned neighborhoods, and trail access define the newer edge.
Known for: Surprise Stadium, White Tank Mountains, parks, and family development.
Calendar note: Kansas City Royals and Texas Rangers spring training are signature events.
Story source: Visit Surprise
- Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Surprise about 51 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
- Climate signal: The profile records 290 sunny days and 0 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 38 and an average commute of 26 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Surprise side by side
Cost of living index
111
ACS median home value
$435,100
2-bedroom rent
$1,940/mo
Median household income
$96,711
Housing momentum
How fast Surprise's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
16/100
Cooling
Ranks Surprise's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Surprise's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $435,100 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $275 |
| Property tax rate | 0.6% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $1,681/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $1,940/mo |
| State & local income tax | 1.64% |
| Sales tax | 8.4% |
| Cost of living index | 111 |
| Groceries index | 100 |
| Utilities | $190/mo |
| Transit pass | $64/mo |
| Gas price | $3.40/gal |
| Healthcare index | 98 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,150/mo |
| Median household income | $96,711 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% |
| Population | 155k |
| Crime index | 50/100 |
| School rating | 4.8/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | 100/100 |
| Avg. commute | 26 min |
| Sunny days / year | 290 days |
| July high | 105°F |
| January low | 41°F |
| Annual snowfall | 0 in |
| Home price YoY | -2.2% |
| Home price MoM | -0.4% |
| Rent YoY | 0.0% |
| Rent MoM | -0.4% |
| Ocean coast | 287 mi |
| Big lake | 71 mi |
| Mountains | 51 mi |
| Major airport | 23 mi |
| Ski resort | 123 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
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- Sun City, AZ · 37k
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- Glendale, AZ · 253k
Similar size
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Real listings in Surprise
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Surprise, AZ?
- Surprise indexes at 111 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $1,940/mo and a acs median home value of $435,100.
- How much does a house cost in Surprise?
- The acs median home value in Surprise is $435,100, 13% above the Arizona median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Surprise?
- A two-bedroom in Surprise rents for about $1,940/mo.