Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Phoenix

You consider moving to Phoenix but want to get additional information on the city before making your final decision in this regard?

Stick with me since I will show you all the pros and cons of living in Phoenix in the following chapters.

Living in Phoenix – Overview

Advantages of Living in Phoenix

1. Phoenix has affordable property prices
2. Rents are still rather low
3. Housing shortage is not a big problem in Phoenix yet
4. Relatively easy to find a place to stay
5. You will not have to spend a high fraction of your disposable income on housing
6. Average person can still make a decent living in Phoenix
7. Phoenix has interesting architecture
8. Decent art scene in Phoenix
9. Many museums to choose from in Phoenix
10. Phoenix is a culturally diverse place
11. People are friendly and welcoming
12. Phoenix attracts people from all over the country
13. Population in Phoenix has been growing significantly
14. Phoenix offers the comfort of a big city
15. You will find most things for daily life within walking distance
16. More than enough entertainment opportunities
17. Many recreational spaces in Phoenix
18. Easy to socialize in Phoenix
19. Phoenix is one of the biggest cities in the US
20. Decent future outlook for Phoenix
21. Living costs are lower compared to other major cities
22. Phoenix has many decent sports teams
23. People are more relaxed than in other big cities
24. Phoenix is not as crowded as other major cities in the US
25. Good schools and colleges in Phoenix
26. Good medical infrastructure
27. Decent public transport in the inner city
28. You can enjoy many hours of sun in Phoenix
29. Warm winters are attractive to many people
30. People in Phoenix spend lots of time outdoors
31. Good jobs for people who have good education
32. Many big corporations are located in Phoenix
33. Nightlife in Phoenix is decent
34. Phoenix offers decent shopping opportunities
35. Phoenix has an international airport
36. You will have lots of space for yourself in the Phoenix region
37. Most people don’t get bored in Phoenix
38. Many different foods to try in Phoenix
39. You can meet many interesting people
40. You can have amazing conversations
41. Phoenix is a decent city for students

Phoenix has affordable property prices

One advantage of living in Phoenix is that the city is still not as expensive in terms of property prices as many other big cities in the US. In turn, you will have an easier time buying a home without having to take on huge sums of debt and you will also be able to pay back your loans far sooner than people living in Los Angeles or other expensive cities where property prices are much higher.

Rents are still rather low

Not only property prices are affordable, but also rents are relatively low in Phoenix compared to other big cities and this means that you don’t have to spend that much money on housing and can save and invest more money to get into good financial shape relatively soon.

Housing shortage is not a big problem in Phoenix yet

In general, housing shortage is not a big problem in Phoenix yet and you will therefore not have to compete with as many good prospective tenants as in other more popular regions and will also have an easier time finding a suitable place to live.

Relatively easy to find a place to stay

Since housing shortage is not that of a big deal in Phoenix, you will also find a place to stay pretty soon and will not have to search as long as people who want to move to NYC or other popular cities often have to do until they find an affordable and nice place to stay.

You will not have to spend a high fraction of your disposable income on housing

Another upside to moving to Phoenix is that you also don’t have to spend a high fraction of your disposable income on housing and can rather use a big part of your salary for buying nice things or doing nice activities.

Average person can still make a decent living in Phoenix

Since property prices and rents are still reasonable in Phoenix, the average person is also able to make a decent living and doesn’t have to worry about getting into serious financial problems, at least if he or she is good with spending money and doesn’t waste everything on useless consumption.

Phoenix has interesting architecture

If you are interested in architecture, Phoenix can also be a great place to live in for you since you will find many interesting buildings and will be really fascinated by the complex architecture you will find at many corners.

Decent art scene in Phoenix

Not only will you have lots of interesting architecture, but you will also find a decent art scene in Phoenix.

Hence, if you are an artist or just interested in art, you will find many like-minded people to spend time with and can make many good friends who have the same interests as you pretty soon.

Many museums to choose from in Phoenix

Another benefit of living in Phoenix is that you have many museums and exhibitions to choose from and chances are that you will never run out of options in this regard.

Phoenix is a culturally diverse place

Since people are welcome from all over the world, Phoenix attracts people from all over the US and also from many foreign countries and this gives you the opportunity to experience many different cultures and to become more tolerant and also to grow in character in the long run.

People are friendly and welcoming

Since most people in Phoenix are friendly and outgoing, you will have a rather easy time finding new social connections and friends pretty soon and you therefore don’t have to worry about becoming socially isolated since you will find many people to hang out with pretty soon.

Phoenix attracts people from all over the country

Phoenix is also well-known all over the US.

Consequently, people who are no longer able or willing to pay high property prices or rents move to cities like Phoenix and you can therefore have many interesting encounters with people from different states.

Population in Phoenix has been growing significantly

Since Phoenix has become more popular over the past years, population has also been growing significantly over the past decade and chances are that this trend will continue in the future.

In turn, with growing population, even more culturally interesting influences will take place in Phoenix and overall quality of life may increase even further.

Moreover, a growing population also often indicates that a city is attractive to many people from many different social classes and Phoenix may therefore also be a great place to live for you and your family, no matter what cultural or ethnic background you might have.

Phoenix offers the comfort of a big city

Another advantage of moving to Phoenix is that you can really enjoy the comfort of a big city.

You will barely miss anything and can get everything you need without having to drive to other cities as would be the case if you lived in a smaller town where the supply of material goods is not that good.

You will find most things for daily life within walking distance

Since public infrastructure is pretty decent, you will also find most things for daily life within walking distance and can get everything you need to live a happy life within minutes by just walking down the streets.

More than enough entertainment opportunities

Phoenix also has a lot to offer when it comes to entertainment.

In fact, many big events take place in Phoenix and chances are that you will never run out of options in this regard.

Many recreational spaces in Phoenix

Phoenix also offers many recreational spaces where you can enjoy your leisure and relax from your stressful life.

During lunch break, you can just spend your time in a park and meditate to reload your batteries for the stressful times yet to come.

Easy to socialize in Phoenix

Phoenix is also a great place to socialize since people are friendly and outgoing and you will also have many locations to hang out with other people so that you can really expand your circle of friends within a rather short period of time.

Phoenix is one of the biggest cities in the US

Phoenix is also one of the biggest cities in the US and the bigger the city, the more it usually has to offer in terms of infrastructure, entertainment and so on and you will therefore find almost everything you could ever wish for in Phoenix and don’t have to spend much time in other cities.

Decent future outlook for Phoenix

Since population in Phoenix has been growing significantly over the past decade, chances are that Phoenix will stay an important place for many years to come and you therefore don’t have to worry that too many people may leave the region anytime soon and public infrastructure will be decent for many decades.

Living costs are lower compared to other major cities

Not only rents and property prices are affordable in Phoenix, but also living costs are lower in general compared to other major cities in the US.

For instance, if you live in San Francisco, you have to spend lots of money on drinks if you go out to a bar or a club while you can get a drink in Phoenix far cheaper.

Phoenix has many decent sports teams

Phoenix is also a great place to live if you are interested in sports since you can watch the games of many famous sports teams on a regular basis and can therefore really enjoy your leisure with many other like-minded people.

People are more relaxed than in other big cities

Another upside to moving to Phoenix is that people are usually more relaxed and not in that of a hurry compared to other major cities in the US.

Consequently, people in Phoenix are usually friendlier and also have more time to help you out while people in many other major cities may just be in a hurry since they are more career-focused and also have to work harder to pay their bills.

Phoenix is not as crowded as other major cities in the US

While other major cities like NYC or L.A. are pretty crowded, you will not get the feeling of living in a really big city in Phoenix and you will also have much more space to move and can also find some quiet places for you if you want to be alone for a certain period of time.

Good schools and colleges in Phoenix

Another reason to move to Phoenix is that you will also have many good schools and colleges and you can therefore make sure that your kids get the best education possible to give them a head start for their future lives.

Good medical infrastructure

You should also know that Phoenix provides good medical infrastructure and in case you get sick, you will find many good doctors and hospitals that take care of you and do everything that you will be cured of your disease in the most efficient manner.

Decent public transport in the inner city

Another benefit of moving to Phoenix is that public transport is pretty decent within the inner city and if you live close to the city center, you may not even need a car to get around since you will find most things within walking distance and can also use trains and buses to get around in a reasonable manner.

You can enjoy many hours of sun in Phoenix

Since Phoenix is located in the desert, you will also have lots of good weather and Phoenix may therefore be a great place to move for you if you are a sun lover and don’t want to deal with rain that much.

Warm winters are attractive to many people

Moving to Phoenix can also make sense for you if you don’t like the cold and want to spend your time in a rather warm place, especially in winter where temperatures in other regions often fall below the freezing mark while temperatures in Phoenix are often high enough so that you can spend your time outdoors wearing just a light shirt instead of a heavy coat.

People in Phoenix spend lots of time outdoors

Since Phoenix is a sunny place and weather is great, you can also spend lots of time outdoors and this can be great for your overall well-being since the more time you spend outdoors and the more exercise you get, the less likely it will be to suffer from depression or other serious health problems in the long run.

Good jobs for people who have good education

Phoenix can also be a decent place to live and work for people with good education since there are many good jobs if you have a fancy degree and also provide enough value to big corporations so that you can trade your time for really good money.

Many big corporations are located in Phoenix

There are also many big corporations from various industries present in Phoenix and it therefore doesn’t really matter whether you are a financial expert, engineer or craftsman.

As long as you are really good at what you are doing, chances are that you will find a decent job and can make good money.

Nightlife in Phoenix is decent

While nightlife in Phoenix is not as great as in other major cities in the US, you will still have more than enough bars and clubs to choose from and chances are that you will never run out of options in this regard.

Phoenix offers decent shopping opportunities

You will also find many shopping opportunities in Phoenix and you will find most things you need within a reasonable amount of time.

However, if you are a fashion victim and want to go shopping in the fanciest boutiques, chances are that you would be better off in NYC or L.A.

Phoenix has an international airport

It is also pretty easy to visit various parts of the world if you live in Phoenix since Phoenix has a big international airport and you can therefore fly to many major cities all over the planet directly without having to make a stop at other airports.

You will have lots of space for yourself in the Phoenix region

Since Phoenix is located in the desert, you will have lots of space for yourself outside city borders where you can just relax and spend some time alone to focus on yourself and to reload your batteries.

Most people don’t get bored in Phoenix

Since there are many different things to do, chances are that you will also never run out of ideas regarding how to spend your leisure and you will most likely also never get bored in this regard.

Many different foods to try in Phoenix

Due to the many cultural influences, you will also find many different foods in Phoenix and can also try many new things so that you can expand your culinary knowledge and make many interesting experiences that can also give you lots of inspiration for cooking at home.

You can meet many interesting people

Since Phoenix is a culturally diverse place, you can also meet many interesting people and if you are friendly and outgoing, chances are that you will never run out of social contacts in Phoenix.

You can have amazing conversations

Since you can talk to so many different people, you will also have many amazing conversation partners to spend time with so that you can get different opinions on certain topics and can also question your own attitudes on a regular basis to become more mature in the long run.

Phoenix is a decent city for students

Since living costs and rents are relatively low, Phoenix can also be a great place for students since they can get decent education without having to pay lots of money on housing and other basic expenses of daily life.

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

However, it is still not all upside and we also have to talk about the negative things that come along with it so that you get a better picture of reality and can make a profound decision regarding whether you still want to move to Phoenix or rather want to live in a different city instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Phoenix

1. Phoenix is located in the middle of the desert
2. Hot temperatures can be exhausting
3. Lack of seasons may be annoying
4. Hard to go skiing in Phoenix
5. Not many fishing opportunities
6. Phoenix may run out of water sooner or later
7. Wildfires are a serious problem
8. Other natural disasters may wipe out your home
9. Crime rate in Phoenix is above national average
10. Locals may have to leave the region if property prices increase even further
11. Housing shortage may become a serious problem in the future
12. Increasing level of inequality in Phoenix
13. Homelessness has become a serious problem
14. Social tensions have increased
15. Traffic jams are a problem in Phoenix
16. You may have to spend lots of time finding a parking lot
17. Pretty poor air quality in Phoenix
18. Unemployment is a problem for low-qualified people
19. You will not have access to the beach
20. Phoenix is not that popular among tourists
21. Phoenix doesn’t provide great landscape
22. Phoenix is not as popular as other major cities
23. Not the right place to live for you if you love glamour
24. Phoenix has many problems of other big cities
25. Not the best city if you don’t like big city life
26. Rather poor public transport in the suburbs of Phoenix
27. You may need a car to get around
28. Phoenix is not very bike-friendly
29. It takes time to get from one end of Phoenix to the other
30. Hard to meet celebrities in Phoenix
31. Dodgy neighborhoods in Phoenix

Phoenix is located in the middle of the desert

One downside to moving to Phoenix is that the city is located in the desert and this means that you will not have that many interesting things to do apart from the things every big city has to offer.

When you make trips, you also have to make sure that you have enough fuel and water so that in case your car breaks down or other issues arise, you can still get back home and don’t get into serious trouble.

Hot temperatures can be exhausting

While Phoenix provides good weather, it is also pretty hot and if you don’t like the heat, living in Phoenix may become pretty exhausting in the long run and you may rather want to move to a different place instead.

Lack of seasons may be annoying

Since there are no strong winters in Phoenix, this lack of seasons may also become annoying and frustrating in the long run and you may just wish for a strong winter that may never come anytime soon in the long run.

Hard to go skiing in Phoenix

Since snow is pretty rare in Phoenix, it is also not a good place to live if you want to go skiing or do other winter sports on a regular basis and you might be better off moving to Chicago or other colder regions instead.

Not many fishing opportunities

Since Phoenix is located in the middle of the desert, there are also not many fishing opportunities and if you are a passionate angler, you might be better off living at the coast or in a different region where there are more freshwater lakes.

Phoenix may run out of water sooner or later

Another problem with moving to Phoenix is that the city may run out of water sooner or later and due to global warming, water scarcity may become a serious problem.

In turn, overall quality of life may drop significantly and many people may leave the region.

Wildfires are a serious problem

You should also be aware of the fact that wildfires are a serious problem in Phoenix.

While you might not be at great risk in the city centers, wildfires may still burn down your home in case you live in the outskirts and in such a case, you may not only lose your home but even your life if you are not careful.

Other natural disasters may wipe out your home

Not only wildfires are a big problem, but the Phoenix region may also get hit by serious storms or other natural disasters and in case you are unlucky, you may suffer serious financial damage or may even lose your life.

Crime rate in Phoenix is above national average

Another reason not to move to Phoenix is that crime rate is above national average.

While it is still lower compared to other big cities in the US, there are still safer places to live and if you want to achieve a maximum level of safety for you and your family, you may rather want to live in a smaller town with lower crime rate instead.

Locals may have to leave the region if property prices increase even further

While property prices are relatively low, they still have increased significantly over the past decade and if this trend continues in the future, many locals may have to leave the region since they would no longer be able to pay for housing and the city may lose part of its charm in the long run.

Housing shortage may become a serious problem in the future

Another disadvantage of moving to Phoenix is that due to increasing demand for housing, housing shortage may become a serious problem in the near future and this implies that you would have to spend more money on rent and would have less money left to spend on other things.

Increasing level of inequality in Phoenix

The Phoenix region has also experienced an increasing level of inequality over the past decade and people are therefore no longer that friendly and often in a rush since they urgently have to make money to pay their bills and in case this trend continues, social cohesion may suffer and people from different social classes may no longer accept each other.

Homelessness has become a serious problem

Another downside to living in Phoenix is that homelessness has become a serious problem and this trend may become even worse in the future since an increasing number of people may no longer be able to pay for rent and may get evicted sooner or later.

Social tensions have increased

Due to an increasing level of inequality, also social tensions have increased substantially in Phoenix over the past years and this may lower overall quality of life in the long run.

Traffic jams are a problem in Phoenix

Since Phoenix is a big city, traffic jams are quite common and you may therefore have to spend much more time in traffic than you might wish and this can be really annoying and frustrating in the long run since there would be so many better things to do with your leisure

You may have to spend lots of time finding a parking lot

Not only traffic jams are a big problem, but it is also hard to find a parking lot in Phoenix and you may therefore have to spend lots of time and money in this regard.

Pretty poor air quality in Phoenix

Another disadvantage of living in Phoenix is that air quality is pretty poor.

Not only will this decrease your overall quality of life, but poor air quality can lead to all sorts of health problems in the long run.

Unemployment is a problem for low-qualified people

While people with fancy education often find good jobs in Phoenix, low-qualified people often have to search for a long time until they find someone who is willing to employ them and their risk of getting laid-off will also be pretty high.

You will not have access to the beach

Since Phoenix is located in the desert, you will also not have access to the beach as would have been the case if you moved to Long Beach or other cities at the coast and this can be really sad, especially if you are a passionate surfer who just loves spending time at the beach.

Phoenix is not that popular among tourists

While Phoenix is well-known in the US, it is still not a popular city for tourists from foreign countries and you will therefore not get many opportunities to meet up with tourists and to have great conversations with people from exotic parts of our planet as would be the case in more popular cities in America.

Phoenix doesn’t provide great landscape

Since Phoenix is in the middle of the desert, you will just have rocky mountains and not many other exciting things to experience when it comes to landscape and you will also not be able to enjoy as many great national parks as in other regions in the US.

Phoenix is not as popular as other major cities

Another downside to living in Phoenix is that the city is just not as popular as other major cities in the US and your friends may therefore not understand your decision of moving to this place and you may have to explain and justify quite a lot in this regard.

Not the right place to live for you if you love glamour

While Phoenix is a big city, it still doesn’t offer as much glamor as Los Angeles or NYC and you should also not expect that many fancy events taking place in Phoenix compared to other major cities in the US.

Phoenix has many problems of other big cities

You will also encounter various problems that come along with living in a big city in Phoenix.

This includes seeing people using dodgy substances, theft and so on and this is often just not a nice picture and if you are unlucky, you may even get into trouble in this regard.

Not the best city if you don’t like big city life

Phoenix is also not a great place to move to if you don’t like the vibe and the lifestyle of a big city.

Hence, if you want to live a more relaxed and quiet life, you may be better off living in a smaller town.

Rather poor public transport in the suburbs of Phoenix

While public transport is decent in the inner city, it is pretty poor in the Phoenix suburbs and you may therefore have to get around by other means of transport.

You may need a car to get around

Since public transport is sometimes quite unreliable, you may also need a car to get around in an efficient manner and not only will this hurt the environment but also your finances in the long run.

Phoenix is not very bike-friendly

You should also know that Phoenix is not a bike-friendly city and that many people rather use other means of transport to get around since they fear getting run over by other traffic participants when using their bikes.

It takes time to get from one end of Phoenix to the other

Since Phoenix is a pretty big city, it also takes lots of time to get from one end to the other, especially at rush hour when you might get stuck in traffic jams for a long period of time.

Hard to meet celebrities in Phoenix

Since Phoenix is not the most popular city, you will most likely also not get the opportunity to meet many celebrities as would be the case in other more popular cities.

Dodgy neighborhoods in Phoenix

Like many other big cities, there are also many dodgy neighborhoods in Phoenix that you should avoid so that you don’t get into trouble sooner or later.

Top 10 Moving To Phoenix Pros & Cons – Summary List

Should You Move To Phoenix?

While Phoenix can be a great place to live in since it offers decent quality of life, good public infrastructure, affordable property prices and good medical support, Phoenix also has an above-average crime rate and many people live below the poverty level.

Thus, you will be confronted by high levels of inequality on a daily basis and you should make sure to also evaluate all the other advantages and disadvantages of living in Phoenix before you decide on moving to this place to avoid common mistakes in this regard.

Alternative Cities To Live In

If you don’t want to move to Phoenix anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Anaheim

Advantages and disadvantages of living in Houston

Advantages and disadvantages of living in San Diego

Sources

https://www.phoenix.gov/

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.