Cost of Living in Fountain Hills, AZ

Homes For Sale In Fountain Hills, AZ

An Overview of Cost of Living in Fountain Hills, AZ

Knowing the cost of living in Fountain Hills allows individuals to create a realistic budget. This helps them understand how their income will cover expenses and whether they need to make financial adjustments. The cost of living in any region can fluctuate due to various factors. To assess the cost of living consistently across different areas, a national average of 100 serves as the basis for the cost of living index. The cost of living in Fountain Hills stands at 131, marking it 31% higher than the national average.

If affordability is among your top priorities when searching for a new place to live, this area may not be the ideal fit, as the cost of living in Fountain Hills is among the most expensive in the United States. Just a minority of areas exhibit a cost of living at least 20% higher than the national average, and unfortunately, Fountain Hills falls into this category, which may not align with your goal of finding a budget-friendly living environment.

When it comes to the cost of living in Fountain Hills, housing costs are a real heavyweight, often hogging a significant chunk of your earnings. Sadly, in this area, housing expenses for both buying and renting were 98.1% more expensive compared to your average city. That means you'll be shelling out more for homes, rents, mortgage rates and insurance.

Is Fountain Hills Affordable?

Is Fountain Hills an affordable place to live? That's a valid question to ask when you're thinking about moving to a new city. After all, how much it costs to live somewhere can be a huge factor in your decision. Affordability can be broken down into 3 common categories. The cost of living index (we talked about it earlier), housing expenses and income levels all play a big role in figuring out if a place is affordable. For instance, in Fountain Hills, the median home price is 119.4% higher than what most folks pay across the country, and monthly rent prices are 48.5% higher than the usual rates. Income levels in Fountain Hills come in at $129,502, which is 59.2% higher than the national average.

What Factors can Influence the Cost of Living in Fountain Hills?

Housing: High demand for housing in desirable locations can drive up property prices and rental rates. This can be a primary contributor to a higher cost of living. While low demand for housing, especially in undesirable locations, can have the reverse effect and drive prices down, resulting in a lower cost of living. The housing index in Fountain Hills, is 98.1% higher than the national average.

Taxes: Cities that enforce higher taxes, covering both sales taxes and income taxes, can be a factor contributing to a higher cost of living. Paying more in taxes for everyday essentials like clothing and food inevitably leads to higher expenses. A higher income tax rate can further contribute to an overall elevated cost of living. In Fountain Hills, the baseline sales tax rate begins at 5.6%, and income tax rates start at 2.5%.

Subsidies: Certain regions may provide government subsidies or assistance initiatives designed to alleviate the cost of living burden on their residents. These programs encompass a wide range of support mechanisms, such as Medicare, Medicaid, housing subsidies, low-income home energy assistance programs, school lunch programs, supplemental nutrition assistance programs, student loans, electric vehicle tax credits, affordable care act subsidies and farming subsidies. Areas with fewer subsidy offerings might experience an elevation in their cost of living.

Where is the Data From?

The Fountain Hills cost of living data displayed above is derived from the C2ER cost of living index to provide a useful and reasonably accurate measure of living cost differences in urban areas. Published on a quarterly basis, it compiles data from more than 300 independent researchers, encompassing over 60 goods and services. These items have been meticulously selected to represent various consumer expenditure categories, in 6 categories. Weightings assigned to cost differentials draw from government survey data tracking spending patterns among professional and executive households. While the C2ER index excludes data on sales or income tax rates, AreaVibes incorporates tax rates into the overall cost of living score for each region.

Most Affordable Places to Live in and Around Fountain Hills

Livability Amenities Cost of Living Crime Employment Housing Schools User Ratings

© Proximitii © OpenStreetMap contributors © OpenMapTiles Leaflet

Cities & NeighborhoodsCities onlyNeighborhoods only

See all the best places to live around Fountain Hills

Compare Fountain Hills, AZ Cost of Living

vs Compare

The best places in Arizona

Salary Calculator

Median Income & Debt-To-Income Ratio

To approximate the cost of living and the housing affordability in Fountain Hills, AZ, we can look at the percentage of income that is available to be spent on monthly housing, otherwise known as the debt-to-income ratio (DTI). To stay on the safe side, a consumer should not spend more than 28% of his or her gross income on housing-related expenses and costs and not more than 36% of income on all expenses and debts. Homeowners in Fountain Hills have a median income of $142,250. Therefore, the amount that a consumer should spend on housing costs should be no more than $3,319 per month to avoid calamity and poverty. The renters in the city have an income of about $79,751, which would make their monthly maximum allowable rental costs $1,861.

Arizona Sales Tax

Arizona Income Tax

Goods & Services

Groceries

Health Care

Housing

Transportation

Utilities

Although the cost of living data is updated regularly, this cost of living information is to be used as estimates only as prices can change on an ongoing basis.

Nearby cities with low cost of living

Cities with similar population

Date & Last Updated: This data reflects 2025 and was released from C2ER in January, 2026; this is the most current data available.