Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Arizona

You think about moving to Arizona but want to get information on housing, living costs, climate, entertainment, job market and many other things before making this important decision?

Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you the pros and cons of living in Arizona in the following chapters.

Living in Arizona – Overview

Advantages of Living in Arizona

1. Living costs in Arizona are pretty low
2. Housing shortage is not a big problem in most parts of Arizona
3. Tenants find a decent place to stay rather quickly
4. Rents are still affordable for the general public
5. The average person is still able to buy a decent home in Arizona
6. Many people in Arizona don’t have to deal with high levels of financial pressure
7. Arizona is surrounded by beautiful nature
8. You can spend lots of time outdoors
9. People in Arizona can get lots of exercise
10. Pretty decent air quality in Arizona in general
11. You can enjoy hot and sunny summers in Arizona
12. Mild winters are attractive to many people in Arizona
13. You can go back to the roots by living in Arizona
14. You find decent bars and clubs in the big cities of Arizona
15. Arizona is not the most crowded state
16. Many people in Arizona are pretty relaxed
17. People in Arizona are often pretty helpful
18. Many people in the big cities of Arizona are pretty tolerant
19. You can enjoy many different cultural influences in the big cities
20. Moving to Arizona makes sense if you love nature and village life
21. Many recreational spaces in Arizona
22. Arizona may be great to live a self-sufficient life
23. You can live in line with natural forces
24. Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of Arizona
25. Easy to find a parking lot in Arizona
26. Arizona may be a great place to invest in property
27. Arizona may be a great place for your kids to grow up
28. Many retirees really enjoy their time in Arizona
29. Decent public transport in the big cities of Arizona
30. Solid supply of material goods
31. Social inequality in Arizona is not as severe as in many other states
32. Arizona is a rather pet-friendly state
33. Many large cities in Arizona
34. People in Arizona are not as career-driven as in many other states
35. People in Arizona are honest and real
36. You can make friends for a lifetime in Arizona

Living costs in Arizona are pretty low

One advantage of living in Arizona is that living costs are pretty low compared to many other states. In fact, living costs in the big cities of Arizona are usually significantly lower than in other big cities and while people living in Los Angeles often have to spend lots of money on drinks and other things of daily life, you will be able to afford more nice things in the big cities of Arizona with the same budget.

Housing shortage is not a big problem in most parts of Arizona

You should also know that housing shortage in Arizona is not as severe as in other more popular states and you will therefore find more than enough housing options and even in case you get evicted from your property, chances are that you will find a new place to stay rather soon.

Tenants find a decent place to stay rather quickly

In general, Arizona can also be a great place for tenants since you will find many decent homes or flats at a reasonable price and don’t have to spend as much time and money on housing as people living in New York City or other much more expensive regions often have to do.

Rents are still affordable for the general public

Compared to the average income, rents in most parts of Arizona are also pretty affordable and many people don’t have to overextend themselves for renting a decent home.

The average person is still able to buy a decent home in Arizona

If you don’t want to rent for the rest of your life, moving to Arizona can also be great since you will find many decent homes to buy at an affordable price while this would be almost impossible for people moving to Seattle or other regions where prices per square foot are often much higher.

Many people in Arizona don’t have to deal with high levels of financial pressure

Another upside to living in Arizona is that due to rather low living and housing costs, also overall financial pressure is rather low for many people in this region and people may therefore be less likely to suffer from serious mental problems due to financial problems compared to people living in more expensive regions who often have to worry about money and debt quite often.

Arizona is surrounded by beautiful nature

You should also know that Arizona is surrounded by beautiful mountains, lakes and forests and you can therefore enjoy really great scenery and many nice views.

You can spend lots of time outdoors

Since you will be surrounded by beautiful nature, you can also go fishing, camping, hunting, hiking and do many other things outdoors while many other people who live in regions with less attractive nature often just spend many hours outdoors and are not able to make those nice experiences.

People in Arizona can get lots of exercise

Since you can spend lots of time outdoors, you will also get lots of natural exercise and this may keep you fit and vital and you may also not be at great risk of suffering from serious overweight since you will burn lots of calories during those nature activities.

Pretty decent air quality in Arizona in general

You should also know that most regions in Arizona have pretty good air quality and while you may not consider this really important, it may still lower your risk of suffering from pulmonary or cardiovascular issues in the long run compared to people living in more polluted areas.

You can enjoy hot and sunny summers in Arizona

Moving to Arizona can also make quite a lot of sense for you in case you love hot weather and want to have many hours of sun to tan your skin since you will barely have to deal with rain during those great summers in the Arizona region.

Mild winters are attractive to many people in Arizona

Not only summers are great in Arizona, but also winters are relatively mild and moving to Arizona may also be great for you in case you can’t stand cold weather at all and just want to live in a place where it is moderately warm even in winter.

You can go back to the roots by living in Arizona

Another benefit of living in Arizona is that you can also live a pretty original life. In fact, many people in Arizona live pretty traditional and pretty similar to the lifestyle their ancestors have lived and you can therefore preserve many noble traditions while still enjoying the comfort of using modern technologies at the same time.

You find decent bars and clubs in the big cities of Arizona

As long as you live in one of the big cities of Arizona, you will also find some really nice bars and clubs where you can have a drink with your favorite people and may also be able to party until the early morning.

Arizona is not the most crowded state

You should also keep in mind that Arizona is a state with pretty low population density and you will therefore have more than enough space for yourself in public and will not run into people frequently as in more crowded regions where you will barely have enough space to relax and to think about things that need to be fixed without being distracted by others.

Many people in Arizona are pretty relaxed

Since overall financial pressure that comes along with living in Arizona is often much lower than in more expensive regions and people also spend lots of time in nature, many people in Arizona are also pretty relaxed and you can have many interesting conversations with people in this region.

People in Arizona are often pretty helpful

In many parts of Arizona, helping each other out is also a crucial part of the general lifestyle and in case you need support on various occasions of daily life, you can be pretty sure to get the support of your friends since they will usually be there for you in case you get into serious trouble and you can really count on your loved ones in this region.

Many people in the big cities of Arizona are pretty tolerant

You should also know that many people in the big cities of Arizona are pretty tolerant and you will be able to become a valued member of society no matter where you come from as long as you are willing to adapt to local customs and traditions at least a little bit and are also open to new things.

You can enjoy many different cultural influences in the big cities

The big cities in Arizona are also a melting pot for many different cultural influences and you can therefore have a great time, enjoy many delicious foods and make many nice experiences with people from all over the globe.

Moving to Arizona makes sense if you love nature and village life

While some people don’t like village life and nature, others just love it and if you belong to the second group of people and don’t like big city life, you can have a great time in all the small towns and villages in Arizona and may get really happy with this kind of lifestyle in the long run.

Many recreational spaces in Arizona

Another benefit of moving to Arizona is that you will also find many recreational spaces, both within as well as outside of city borders since you will find many nice parks and also many nature reserves in this region where you can relax and unplug from your stressful life so you can reload your batteries.

Arizona may be great to live a self-sufficient life

Many people in Arizona also live a pretty traditional life and if you want to live self-sufficient and don’t want to rely on modern society anymore, Arizona can be a great place in this regard since you can just forage for food and may no longer need to buy many things, at least if you know what you are doing and are also willing to put in the work to get to this stage.

You can live in line with natural forces

Since you will be surrounded by interesting nature, you can also live in line with natural forces in Arizona. For instance, if you work self-employed, while it may be pretty hot during lunchtime, you may just take a long break from work and may just continue working later in the afternoon and you can therefore live like our ancestors did many decades or even centuries ago and this may give you a really good feeling and may also help your body and your mind relax.

Traffic is not a big problem in most parts of Arizona

Another upside to moving to Arizona is that traffic is not a big problem in most regions in Arizona yet and you will therefore not have to spend lots of time in traffic jams and can use your time on other nice things instead.

Easy to find a parking lot in Arizona

Since traffic is not a big issue, you will also find more than enough parking lots in most regions of Arizona and don’t have to spend lots of time and money in this regard.

Arizona may be a great place to invest in property

Moving to Arizona may also be great for landlords who want to build a big property portfolio since rental yields in most parts of Arizona are still pretty decent and due to landlord-friendly laws, you will also be in a pretty solid position when it comes to disputes with your tenants.

Arizona may be a great place for your kids to grow up

Arizona can also be considered a great adventure park where you can do many great things with your kids. For instance, you can go fishing, camping and do many other things outdoors and while you have a great time with your family, you can also teach your kids how important it is to protect our beautiful planet and to preserve it for as many generations as possible so your kids can also turn into responsible grownups.

Many retirees really enjoy their time in Arizona

While moving to Arizona may not be the greatest option for young people, many retirees really enjoy their lives in this region since they can spend lots of time in beautiful nature and will also find many quiet places where they can just relax and enjoy themselves without having to spend lots of money on housing or other important things in general.

Decent public transport in the big cities of Arizona

As long as you live in the largest cities of Arizona, you will also be able to get around by buses or other means of public transport in a solid manner and can also get most things you need pretty close to your home.

Solid supply of material goods

You also don’t have to worry about running out of important goods for daily life in most regions in Arizona since overall supply of material goods is decent and you will find many delicious foods and other nice things in stores nearby.

Social inequality in Arizona is not as severe as in many other states

Another advantage of moving to Arizona is that social inequality is not as severe as in many other regions and this fosters social cohesion and people from different social classes will still hang out with each other pretty frequently.

Arizona is a rather pet-friendly state

You should also know that Arizona is a rather pet-friendly state and when you walk down the streets with your dog, you will get in touch with many other dog owners and can socialize in a pretty playful manner.

Many large cities in Arizona

You will also find enough big cities in Arizona to choose from and in case you no longer feel comfortable in one of those cities, you can just move to another big city in Arizona and give it another try while you may not find as many big cities in other states.

People in Arizona are not as career-driven as in many other states

People in Arizona are not only pretty helpful and friendly, but they are also not as career-focused as people in many other regions and will just take more time to help you out on various occasions of daily life.

People in Arizona are honest and real

People in Arizona are also known for being genuine and real and while you might not like this at first since it may reveal some unpleasant things about yourself, it still gives you the opportunity to really grow in character in the long run.

You can make friends for a lifetime in Arizona

Since you can really count on people in Arizona, you can also make really good friends and some of those people will also become friends for a lifetime on whom you can rely blindly and this can give you a really great feeling since you know you will get the support of those people even during the darkest times of your life.

As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Arizona.

Yet, we also have to talk about the drawbacks of moving to Arizona so you will get a more profound picture of reality and can better decide whether you want to move to Arizona or rather want to spend your life in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Arizona

1. People in Arizona don’t make great money on average
2. Water scarcity may become a serious problem in Arizona
3. Natural disasters may wipe out your home
4. Arizona may be too hot for many people
5. Lack of real seasons may become annoying
6. Not much entertainment outside the big cities of Arizona
7. You may have a hard time finding really good education in Arizona
8. You may not meet many international tourists in Arizona
9. Not many great sports teams in the rural parts of Arizona
10. Nightlife is not great in most parts of Arizona
11. Rather poor public transport in the rural parts of Arizona
12. Arizona is not the most bicycle-friendly state
13. You may have to rely on your car to get around
14. You may get stuck in the desert if you are unlucky
15. People in rural parts of Arizona often have to rely on themselves
16. Arizona doesn’t have many great student towns
17. Many young people leave Arizona
18. Medical infrastructure is rather poor in many parts of Arizona
19. Arizona doesn’t attract as many talented people as other states
20. Hard to build a strong business network in Arizona
21. Unemployment rate in Arizona is slightly above national average
22. Crime rate in Arizona is higher than in most other states
23. You may get bored with your life in Arizona sooner or later
24. Moving to Arizona doesn’t make sense if you don’t like nature
25. Many parts of Arizona are still pretty conservative
26. You may not get happy with village life in Arizona
27. You may not have as many great shopping options as in other states
28. Distances are often pretty long in Arizona
29. Arizona is not the most popular state
30. Many people may not understand your decision of moving to Arizona
31. Sending letters may take quite a long time
32. Water shortages may make it hard to grow your own food
33. Many people may leave the Arizona region in the long run
34. Rather poor internet connection in the rural parts of Arizona

People in Arizona don’t make great money on average

One downside to living in Arizona is that most people don’t make really great money in this region and if your goal is to get wealthy or even rich and to make really good money from your job, you may be better off moving to San Francisco or other regions where wages are much higher on average.

Water scarcity may become a serious problem in Arizona

You should also know that Arizona is a pretty hot place and due to climate change, water scarcity may become a serious problem sooner or later and once this happens, overall quality of life would likely drop significantly and many people would leave this region.

Natural disasters may wipe out your home

You should also know that wildfires, storms or other natural disasters may damage or even destroy your home in the Arizona region and if you are unlucky, you may not even lose your property but may also lose your life.

Arizona may be too hot for many people

You should also not underestimate how hot it can be during summers in Arizona and if you are the type of person who doesn’t like the heat, you may be better off moving to Chicago or other cooler regions instead.

Lack of real seasons may become annoying

Since you will have hot summers and pretty mild winters, it will be relatively warm in Arizona for the entire year and you may therefore get bored with overall climatic conditions in Arizona in the long run while people moving to Minneapolis and many other regions can enjoy real seasons and may just have more diversity in this regard.

Not much entertainment outside the big cities of Arizona

Another disadvantage of living in Arizona is that you will just not have much entertainment outside the big cities and if you are the type of person who wants to have action all day and night long, you may be better off moving to Las Vegas or other more vibrant places instead.

You may have a hard time finding really good education in Arizona

You shoud also know that the number of really good schools and colleges is rather limited, especially in the rural parts of Arizona where you might have to drive pretty long distances to find a good education.

You may not meet many international tourists in Arizona

You should also keep in mind that Arizona is not the most popular state for tourists. Apart from the Grand Canyon region, you will not meet many international tourists and may therefore not be able to have as many interesting conversations as people in San Diego or other more popular places.

Not many great sports teams in the rural parts of Arizona

You will also not find many great sports teams outside the big cities of Arizona and in case you are a sports fan and want to watch many games of your favorite team on a regular basis, you may be better off moving to other regions where this would be much easier.

Nightlife is not great in most parts of Arizona

Another problem with living in Arizona is that nightlife is not really great in most parts of Arizona and in case you are a party person, you may just get really fed up with your life in Arizona in the long run since you will just run out of options in this regard pretty quickly.

Rather poor public transport in the rural parts of Arizona

You should also know that public transport is pretty poor in most parts of Arizona and you may just not be able to get around by bus or train in an efficient manner and there are even regions where there is no working public transport at all.

Arizona is not the most bicycle-friendly state

You should also not expect to find many bike lanes in Arizona and if you love bicycling, you may be better off moving to Long Beach or other regions where getting around by bike is considered much more important.

You may have to rely on your car to get around

Since public transport is pretty poor in most parts of Arizona and getting around by bicycle is not practical in most regions, you may urgently need a car to get around in an efficient manner and this may be problematic for people who are not able to drive due to various possible reasons since those people will not be mobile and may therefore not be able to enjoy their lives in the long run.

You may get stuck in the desert if you are unlucky

Even if you are able to drive a car in a proper manner, your car may still break down sooner or later and if you live in a region where not many other people live, it may take you quite a long time to find someone who will help you out of your miserable situation.

People in rural parts of Arizona often have to rely on themselves

Another problem with moving to Arizona is that you will often have to rely on yourself, especially if you live in rural regions where there are not many other people and if you are not good at fixing things and also don’t have the talent for doing practical work, you may become increasingly desperate with your life in Arizona in the long run.

Arizona doesn’t have many great student towns

Since there are not many great colleges outside the biggest cities and nightlife is also not great in general, Arizona may also not be the greatest of all states for students and if you really want to enjoy your student life, studying in Los Angeles may be much better for you.

Many young people leave Arizona

Since there is not really great entertainment in many rural parts of Arizona, many young people also leave this region sooner or later since they just want to have more action and want to have as much fun as they can while they are still young and if you are young yourself, you may just not find as many young people in Arizona as you might wish.

Medical infrastructure is rather poor in many parts of Arizona

Another downside to moving to Arizona is that you will often have a hard time finding good doctors and hospitals in the rural parts of this state and this may be problematic since in case you need urgent medical support as quickly as possible, you may just not find it in time.

Arizona doesn’t attract as many talented people as other states

Since most parts of Arizona are not really known for great education, many really good students may not move to Arizona for studying purposes but may rather move to Boston or other more popular regions.

Hard to build a strong business network in Arizona

Since you may not find as many ambitious and talented people in Arizona as in other states, you may also have a harder time building a strong business network and this may slow down your overall career progress in general.

Unemployment rate in Arizona is slightly above national average

You should also know that unemployment rate in Arizona is above national average and especially low-qualified people have a rather hard time finding decent jobs in this region often and may also have to worry about getting laid off on a regular basis.

Crime rate in Arizona is higher than in most other states

Another disadvantage of moving to Arizona is that crime rate are also higher than US average and if you are a really careful person, you may feel safer moving to Virginia Beach or other regions with lower crime rates.

You may get bored with your life in Arizona sooner or later

Since there is not quite a lot of entertainment in most parts of Arizona, you may also just get bored with your life in Arizona in the long run and may move to more vibrant cities sooner or later.

Moving to Arizona doesn’t make sense if you don’t like nature

Before moving to Arizona, you should also make sure that you are a nature lover since in case you aren’t, you may not get happy in this region since many hobbies are built around those nature activities.

Many parts of Arizona are still pretty conservative

While people in the large cities of Arizona are often pretty open and tolerant, people in rural parts of Arizona are often pretty conservative and you may just have to give up some of your personality to be respected in those regions.

You may not get happy with village life in Arizona

You should also not move to Arizona if you are the type of person who loves big city life and everything that comes along with it since you will most likely just end up in one of the smaller towns or even villages and may live a completely different lifestyle from what you may be used to from other big cities in different states.

You may not have as many great shopping options as in other states

You will also not find as many fancy boutiques or other shopping opportunities in most of the smaller cities in Arizona compared to people living in San José or in other big metropolitan regions and in case you are a shopping victim, you may just not get happy with your life in Arizona in the long run.

Distances are often pretty long in Arizona

You should also know that Arizona is a pretty big state and population density is pretty low. Consequently, it may take you quite long to get from one region to another and you may also have a hard time visiting your friends in different cities due to those long distances.

Arizona is not the most popular state

While many people really like Arizona and the kind of lifestyle many people live, you should still know that Arizona is just not the most popular state on a global scale and you may also have a hard time explaining to tourists where exactly you live since they may have never heard about the name of your city before unless you live in Phoenix or other major cities in Arizona.

Many people may not understand your decision of moving to Arizona

Since there are many downsides related to living in Arizona, many of your friends may also not understand your decision of moving to Arizona and you may have to justify quite a lot from this point of view which may become really annoying sooner or later.

Sending letters may take quite a long time

Since there are many small villages that are often not well-connected to the rest of Arizona, sending and receiving letters may take quite a long time and you may therefore often have to wait for longer than the average person in the US to get your letters and parcels.

Water shortages may make it hard to grow your own food

Due to climate change and a lack of rain, it may also become pretty difficult to grow your own food in the Arizona region in the future since you may just run out of water sooner or later and your harvests may therefore be rather limited.

Many people may leave the Arizona region in the long run

Due to rather poor public infrastructure, many people in rural areas also consider moving away from Arizona and you may therefore lose many of your friends in the long run.

Rather poor internet connection in the rural parts of Arizona

You should also know that internet connection outside the big cities of Arizona is often pretty poor and you may therefore have a hard time staying connected to the world.

Top 10 Moving To Arizona Pros & Cons – Summary List

Is Arizona A Good Place To Live?

While living in Arizona can be great since you can enjoy beautiful nature and living and housing costs are rather low, you should also know that public transport and medical infrastructure are rather poor in most rural regions and entertainment options in Arizona are often rather limited.

Hence, in the end, you should evaluate all the advantages and disadvantages of moving to Arizona carefully to make the best possible decision in this regard and to become happy in the long run.

Most Popular Cities To Live In Arizona – Comparison

Alternative States To Live

If you no longer want to move to Arizona, you may also want to have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in California

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Alabama

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Alaska

Sources

https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/AZ

About the author

This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.

My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.

Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.

In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.