Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Tucson
You think about moving to Tucson?
While Tucson can be a great place to live, there are still many drawbacks to moving to this region.
Hence, make sure to have a look at all the pros and cons of living in Tucson in the following chapters so that you can better decide whether you still want to live in Tucson or rather want to move to a different region instead.
Living in Tucson – Overview
Climate | Tucson has a desert climate with hot summers and relatively mild winters. |
Housing | Property prices and rents are still rather low and housing shortage is not as serious as in many other big cities. |
Income | Median household income in Tucson is far below national average. |
Crime | Tucson has an above-average crime rate. |
Education | Solid education levels, even though you will not find world-class education in Tucson. |
Job Market | Tucson’s unemployment rate is slightly lower compared to national average. |
Culture | Tucson is a culturally interesting city where you can meet people from many different nationalities. |
Leisure Activities | While you can go to the movies, dancing and do other things you are used to from every big city, there are still not many opportunities to spend time in nature and you may miss out on many opportunities in this regard. |
Landscape | Tucson is surrounded by desert-like environment. |
Infrastructure | Decent public transport and solid medical infrastructure in Tucson. |
Level of Tolerance | Tucson is one of the most tolerant cities in Arizona. |
Nightlife | Tucson doesn’t have great nightlife and you will have a rather limited number of bars and clubs. |
Total Population | 562,112 inhabitants. |

Advantages of Living in Tucson
- Pretty low unemployment rate in Tucson
- Tucson is an important economic region in Arizona
- Property prices in Tucson are still affordable for the general public
- Rents are affordable as well
- Tucson is not the most crowded city
- Decent public transport in Tucson
- Tucson is a bike-friendly city
- Warm summers and mild winters in Tucson
- People in Tucson are friendly and helpful
- Tucson is a tolerant city
- Living costs in Tucson are rather low
- Financial pressure is rather low as well
- Traffic jams are not a big problem in Tucson
- Population in Tucson is growing
- Decent future outlook for Tucson
- You can enjoy the comfort of living in a big city
- Tucson has an international airport
Pretty low unemployment rate in Tucson
One advantage of moving to Tucson is that the city has a pretty low unemployment rate and you will therefore not have to worry about losing your job that much since even in case this happens, chances are that you will find a new job rather quickly.
Tucson is an important economic region in Arizona
You should also know that Tucson is the second-largest city in Arizona and it is also a pretty important economic region.
Consequently, there are many big companies to work for and you can find a decent job if you have solid education and also provide enough value to the corporate world.
Property prices in Tucson are still affordable for the general public
Since property prices are still rather low, the average person can still afford to buy a decent home and to live the classical American dream in Tucson.
Rents are affordable as well
Not only property prices are fairly low, but also rents are still affordable for the general public and people don’t have to spend lots of money on housing yet and have enough money left for other things and to save and invest for retirement.
Tucson is not the most crowded city
Another upside to moving to Tucson is that the city is still not as crowded as other major metropolitan areas and you will find many recreational spaces where you can relax and unplug from your stressful life.
Decent public transport in Tucson
Tucson also has pretty decent public transport near the city center and you can therefore get around by bus in a pretty efficient manner.
Tucson is a bike-friendly city
Not only does Tucson offer decent public transport, but it is also a rather bike-friendly city and you will therefore not necessarily need a car to get around but can rather rely on alternative means of transport.
Warm summers and mild winters in Tucson
Another benefit of moving to Tucson is that you can enjoy really good weather and many hours of sun.
You will also have pretty mild winters and can therefore spend lots of time outdoors.
People in Tucson are friendly and helpful
You should also know that people in Tucson are friendly and they will also often take the time to help you out.
In general, you can really rely on your friends in Tucson and can also expand your circle of friends pretty soon.
Tucson is a tolerant city
Tucson is also one of the most tolerant cities in Arizona and people are welcome from all over the world.
Hence, it doesn’t really matter where you come from as long as you are friendly and tolerant and are also willing to adapt to local customs and traditions at least a little bit to become a valued member of society.
Living costs in Tucson are rather low
Another upside to living in Tucson is that life is still affordable in this region and living costs are fairly low compared to other major cities.
In turn, people in Tucson don’t have to make really good money to afford a decent lifestyle.
Financial pressure is rather low as well
Thanks to rather low living and housing costs, overall financial pressure for people in Tucson is much lower compared to people living in San José or other expensive regions where people have to make much more money to afford the same lifestyle.
Traffic jams are not a big problem in Tucson
Since Tucson is not a crowded city and many people rely on alternative means of transport instead of using their cars, traffic jams are not a big problem in this region yet and you can therefore get around in a pretty efficient manner.
Population in Tucson is growing
Another indicator that moving to Tucson can be a good idea is that population in the Tucson region is growing and Tucson seems to become a more popular place.
Decent future outlook for Tucson
Another advantage of living in Tucson is that the city also has a pretty decent future outlook and will be an important place to work and live for many decades and you don’t have to worry that too many people will leave this region anytime soon.
You can enjoy the comfort of living in a big city
Another benefit of living in Tucson is that you will find everything you need for daily life and you will have decent shops at almost every corner so that the supply of material goods will be pretty decent.
Tucson has an international airport
Moving to Tucson also makes sense if you want to travel the world since Tucson has an international airport and you can therefore fly to many interesting destinations in foreign countries in a pretty efficient manner.
As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Tucson.
However, it is still not all sunshine and we also have to talk about the drawbacks of moving to Tucson in the following.

Disadvantages of Living in Tucson
- Relatively high crime rate in Tucson
- Property prices in Tucson have already increased significantly
- Water scarcity may become a serious problem in Tucson
- Tucson is not the most glamorous city
- You may miss the feeling of big city life
- Public transport is not great outside the city center
- Tucson may be too hot for you
- Pretty low income levels in Tucson
- Poverty is a big problem
- You will miss beautiful landscape in Tucson
- Tucson is not located at the coast
- You may get bored living in Tucson
- Tucson is not popular among tourists
- Hard to meet celebrities in Tucson
- Hard to build a strong network in Tucson
- Limited number of fancy shopping opportunities in Tucson
- You will not find world-class education in Tucson
Relatively high crime rate in Tucson
One problem with living in Tucson is that it has a pretty high crime rate and many people just don’t feel safe in this region anymore and also your loved ones may frequently have to worry about your well-being.
Property prices in Tucson have already increased significantly
While property prices in Tucson are still fairly low, they still have increased significantly over the past years and you may have to spend much more money on housing compared to just a few years ago.
Water scarcity may become a serious problem in Tucson
Another downside to moving to Tucson is that water scarcity may become a serious problem since Tucson is a pretty hot region and due to climate change, many people may run out of drinking water sooner or later and may have to leave the region.
Tucson is not the most glamorous city
You should also know that Tucson is not the most glamorous and exciting city and if you want to have more action, you should rather move to New York City or other more vibrant places instead.
You may miss the feeling of big city life
You should also not move to Tucson if you expect the same feeling of big city life as in other major metropolitan areas since you would get pretty disappointed in this regard soon.
Public transport is not great outside the city center
Another disadvantage of moving to Tucson is that public transport is not really great outside the city center and you may therefore have to rely on your car to get around if you rather want to live in the suburbs of Tucson instead of the center.
Tucson may be too hot for you
You should also keep in mind that Tucson is a pretty hot place and if you are not used to the heat or don’t like hot weather in general, chances are that you will never get happy in Tuscon and should rather move to Chicago or other cooler regions instead.
Pretty low income levels in Tucson
Another problem with living in Tucson is that the overall income level is pretty low and it is therefore pretty hard to make really good money in Tucson.
Poverty is a big problem
Many people in Tucson also live below the poverty line and you should know that this can lead to all sorts of social tensions and may increase crime rates even further in the long run.
You will miss beautiful landscape in Tucson
Another downside to living in Tucson is that you will also not find the same beautiful nature as people living in Long Beach or other nice places and your overall quality of life may therefore be much lower compared to those people.
Tucson is not located at the coast
You should also keep in mind that Tucson is not located at the coast and while many other people can go surfing or swimming before or after work, you will not be able to enjoy those nice things in Tucson.
You may get bored living in Tucson
Since Tucson is not the most exciting city, you may also get bored with living in Tucson sooner or later and may move to a more interesting city instead.
Tucson is not popular among tourists
Another disadvantage of living in Tucson is that the city is also not popular among tourists and you will therefore have a pretty hard time connecting to people from all over the world and making new friendships.
Hard to meet celebrities in Tucson
Since Tucson is not the most popular city, you will also have a hard time meeting many celebrities in this city and if you want to hang out with your idols or other influential people, you should rather move to Los Angeles instead of Tucson.
Hard to build a strong network in Tucson
Since you will have a hard time meeting influential people, it will also be hard for you to build a strong business network in Tucson and you may therefore climb the corporate ladder much slower than in other big metropolitan areas.
Limited number of fancy shopping opportunities in Tucson
Moving to Tucson is also not a great idea in case you are a shopping queen since the number of fancy boutiques in Tucson is rather limited.
You will not find world-class education in Tucson
You should also not expect to find many world-class schools or universities in Tucson and if you want your kids to get the best education possible, you should rather move to Boston instead.

Top 10 Moving To Tucson Pros & Cons – Summary List
Living in Tucson Pros | Living in Tucson Cons |
---|---|
Housing shortage is not a big problem in Tucson yet | Tucson is not the safest place |
Property prices are still at a reasonable level | Nightlife in Tucson is not great |
People in Tucson are tolerant and friendly | Hard to find really good education in Tucson |
You can enjoy the comfort of a big city | Tucson is not located at the sea |
Relatively low unemployment rate in Tucson | Tucson is a hot place |
Living costs in Tucson are rather low | Climate change may hurt Tucson in the future |
Financial pressure is lower than in other cities | Water scarcity may become a problem |
Traffic is not a big problem in Tucson | Tucson is not the most popular city |
Easy to get around by bike | Hard to meet celebrities in Tucson |
Decent public infrastructure in Tucson | Tucson is not popular among tourists |
Is Tucson A Good Place To Live?
Tucson can be a great place to live in since property prices and living costs are fairly low while you will still be able to enjoy the comfort and convenience that comes along with living in a big city. However, crime rates are pretty high and you may also get bored with living in Tucson in the long run.
Alternative Cities To Live In
If you don’t want to move to Tucson anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Louisville
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Phoenix
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Albuquerque
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/tucsoncityarizona

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.