10 Most Affordable College Towns in Arizona 2020

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Arizona is home to some of the most popular colleges and universities in the nation, making it a go-to place for many college-bound kids from around the country. But with tuition costs skyrocketing nationwide, leaving home for school in another state can be an expensive endeavor. One of the best ways to save money during one’s college years is to live off-campus. This ultimately gives a student more options for:

  • food
  • healthcare
  • transportation
  • housing

Arizona is not the cheapest place in the U.S. to live. Its cost of living averages 12.4% higher than the rest of the United States. But here are affordable college towns in which to live and save money.

Methodology

Using data from Wikipedia, our editors made a list of every college town in Arizona and then used data from Sperling’s Best Places to rank them on general affordability. To figure out which college towns are most affordable, we looked at costs for:

  • housing
  • food
  • health
  • transportation
  • utilities

We compared them to the national average. We also considered features like:

  • amenities
  • crime rates
  • public transportation
  • overall quality of life

We then narrowed  our list down to the 10 most affordable college towns in Arizona.

Tucson


University of Arizona, Brown Mackie College, Brookline College, Wayland Baptist University
Cost of Living: .6% lower than the national average; 13% lower than the state average
Thanks to its pleasant climate and attractive setting, Tucson spent many years as a go-to place for retirees. Today, it’s gaining ground as a popular place for younger people to settle down. Many of them are graduates of a Tucson-based college or university. Though technically a mid-size city, Tucson has a distinctly college-town feel. This is partly due to the fact that University of Arizona is located a mere mile from downtown. Tucson itself offers plenty to see and do within its city limits, though a mountain escape also makes for an easy day trip or weekend away. Best of all, Tucson remains one of the only Arizona college towns with an average cost of living lower than the national average.

Lake Havasu City

ASU Colleges at Lake Havasu City, Northern Arizona University extended campus
Cost of Living: 5.8% higher than the national average; 6.6% lower than the state average
Lake Havasu City, home to extended campuses of two major universities, doesn’t have a whole lot to offer on the amenities side. It does, however, promise to offer students a lower cost of living than many other college towns in Arizona. Overall, living in Lake Havasu City costs about 7% less than the Arizona state average. Housing here tends to be a bit more expensive than the Arizona norm. A one-bedroom can be had for about $647 per month. Fortunately, costs for transportation and entertainment both average below the national norm.  Averaging slightly above are costs for:

  • food
  • healthcare
  • utilities average.

Glendale

Midwestern University, Arizona State University West Campus
Cost of Living: 12.9% higher than the national average; .5% higher than the state average
Glendale is considered a suburb of Phoenix, though its vast surrounding farmland gives it a distinctly isolated feel. Still, students living in the upper middle-class Glendale have the benefit of easy access to all of Phoenix’s amenities, without quite as much of the traffic and crowds. Not bad, considering Glendale’s cost of living is right on par with its bigger neighbor. Average costs for food are slightly below the national average. Housing and transportation rank 18-37% above. To give you an idea, a one-bedroom apartment in Glendale is likely to set you back about $880 per month — $50 less than the national norm.

Phoenix

Grand Canyon University, Phoenix College
Cost of Living: 13.4% higher than the national average; 1% higher than the state average
In the last 40 years, Phoenix has evolved from a resort town to one of the largest metropolitan areas in the United States. It’s home to:

  • Grand Canyon University
  • Phoenix College
  • a number of smaller institutions

Phoenix is a great place to be a student. Young people in Phoenix can rent a one-bedroom apartment for an average of $928 per month. That’s right on par with the national average. Despite higher numbers in the housing category, these areas fall under or equal with the U.S. average costs:

  • food
  • healthcare
  • utilities
  • entertainment

Mesa

Arizona State University Polytechnic Campus, Benedictine University branch campus, A.T. Still University School of Osteopathic Medicine
Cost of Living: 13.6% higher than the national average; 1.2% higher than the state average
Mesa is a middle-class suburb of Phoenix. It’s a close neighbor to:

  • Peoria
  • Chandler
  • Glendale
  • Scottsdale
  • Tempe

Many of the above are also included on our list. For students attending college in Peoria, Tempe, Chandler, and Scottsdale, Mesa is an attractive option for living thanks to its much lower costs. A one-bedroom in Mesa rents for about $911 per month. This is  about $20 less than the national norm. Besides housing, transportation costs trend a little on the higher side. Average costs less than or on part with the national norm are:

  • food
  • healthcare
  • utilities
  • entertainment .

Tempe

Arizona State University, Brookline College, Bryan University
Cost of Living: 19% higher than the national average; 6.6% higher than the state average
Tempe is yet another Phoenix suburb. It’s a popular choice for college students thanks to the presence of Arizona State University. Tempe has tons of options when it comes to entertainment, so it’s a good thing average entertainments costs are right on par with the national average. Food, healthcare, and utilities also average less than or equal to the U.S. norm. Housing, however, is a different story. Property values here are rising fast. Housing costs currently average about 47% higher than the national average. A one-bedroom rental in Tempe is likely to set one back just over $1,038 per month.

Peoria

Trine University branch campus
Cost of Living: 20.3% higher than the national average; 7.9% higher than the state average
Like Mesa, listed above, Peoria is a middle-class suburb of Phoenix. Though Peoria’s cost of living is already higher than both the national and state averages, students thinking of living in Peoria should know that the strong local economy all but assures that Peoria’s costs are sure to continue rising. A one-bedroom rental here already costs an average of $200 more than the Phoenix-Mesa-Scottsdale Metro area average. It’s  42.6% more than the national average. Transportation costs also average higher in Peoria. Below or on par with the national norm are:

  • food
  • healthcare
  • utilities
  • entertainment.

Chandler

Western International University, International Baptist College
Cost of Living: 23.2% higher than the national average; 10.8% higher than the state average
Chandler is located near Phoenix. It’s a good option for those who attend Phoenix schools, but want to live in the suburbs. However, there will be a slightly higher cost of living. Housing costs here average 60% higher than the national average. A one-bedroom costs about $1,108 per month — nearly $170 more than even the metro average. On the bright side, food and entertainment are both slightly lower than the national norm.

Prescott

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Yavapai College, Prescott College, Northern Arizona University, Old Dominion University
Cost of Living: 27% higher than the national average; 14.6% higher than the state average
Many colleges and universities calling Prescott home. So it may come as a surprise that Prescott has a cost of living averaging a whopping 27% higher than the rest of Arizona. Still, Prescott is quite a nice place to live. The historic desert mountain city is clean, pleasant, and prosperous. It tons of well-maintained historic structures and a vibrant artist community. It has higher-than-average living costs. A one-bedroom in Prescott rents for about $703 per month. This is less than both the metro and state averages, and a small mercy perhaps for a college student living off campus. Costs for entertainment and transportation average less than the U.S. average, albeit just slightly.

Flagstaff

Northern Arizona University, College America-Flagstaff
Cost of Living: 24.8% higher than the national average; 12.4% higher than the state average
Flagstaff is a new addition to our list of the 10 most affordable college towns in Arizona for 2020. Housing costs in Flagstaff average 90% higher than the national average. Students looking to rent a one-bedroom should expect to pay about $1,033 per month. Food and healthcare costs also average slightly higher than the rest of the country. Fortunately, the average costs of these are less than the national norm:

  •  utilities
  • transportation
  • entertainment.

And what are the most expensive college towns in Arizona? Those would be Gilbert (27.2% higher than the national average) and Scottsdale (48.7% higher than the national average).

By GCD Staff
September 2019

Related:

This concludes our review of affordable Arizona college towns.

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