Where Maricopa ranks among Arizona’s 20 most affordable cities to buy a home

By Staff Reports
Stacker
Jan 13, 2026

REAL ESTATE

Homeownership is fundamental to the American dream. It offers wealth, security, community and countless other benefits. Yet for many Arizona residents, the dream feels increasingly out of reach — even as incomes rise and mortgage rates fall. Near-record prices have made homes hard to come by and often even harder to afford, leaving buyers and sellers stuck and younger generations priced out.

But affordable pockets still exist. In cities across the state, residents can comfortably spend around 30% of their income or less on housing, which is widely considered the affordable threshold.

To find out where these cities are, Redfin Real Estate ranked the most affordable cities in Arizona, based on their local payment to income ratios. Maricopa placed second on the Dec. 29 list. All data is an average for the January-October 2025 period. To see the most affordable cities in the country, read this recent Redfin article.

#1. Sahuarita
– Payment to income ratio: 26.6%
– Median sale price: $350,094
– Median household income: $100,719
– Income needed to buy: $89,401
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,235

#2. Maricopa
– Payment to income ratio: 28.7%
– Median sale price: $353,328
– Median household income: $94,208
– Income needed to buy: $90,227
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,256

#3. Marana
– Payment to income ratio: 29.9%
– Median sale price: $422,987
– Median household income: $108,256
– Income needed to buy: $108,015
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,700

#4. Buckeye
– Payment to income ratio: 31.5%
– Median sale price: $405,868
– Median household income: $98,778
– Income needed to buy: $103,644
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,591

#5. Drexel Heights
– Payment to income ratio: 31.8%
– Median sale price: $311,651
– Median household income: $75,152
– Income needed to buy: $79,584
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,990

#6. San Tan Valley
– Payment to income ratio: 34.3%
– Median sale price: $419,472
– Median household income: $93,642
– Income needed to buy: $107,118
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,678

#7. Surprise
– Payment to income ratio: 35.1%
– Median sale price: $427,756
– Median household income: $93,371
– Income needed to buy: $109,233
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,731

#8. Goodyear
– Payment to income ratio: 35.8%
– Median sale price: $475,615
– Median household income: $101,814
– Income needed to buy: $121,454
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,036

#9. Florence
– Payment to income ratio: 36.0%
– Median sale price: $358,086
– Median household income: $76,259
– Income needed to buy: $91,442
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,286

#10. Casas Adobes
– Payment to income ratio: 36.0%
– Median sale price: $380,933
– Median household income: $81,041
– Income needed to buy: $97,276
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,432

#11. Kingman
– Payment to income ratio: 36.1%
– Median sale price: $284,549
– Median household income: $60,418
– Income needed to buy: $72,663
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $1,817

#12. Queen Creek
– Payment to income ratio: 36.1%
– Median sale price: $634,839
– Median household income: $134,719
– Income needed to buy: $162,114
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $4,053

#13. El Mirage
– Payment to income ratio: 36.3%
– Median sale price: $354,448
– Median household income: $74,764
– Income needed to buy: $90,513
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,263

#14. Gilbert
– Payment to income ratio: 37.3%
– Median sale price: $590,537
– Median household income: $121,351
– Income needed to buy: $150,801
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,770

#15. Casa Grande
– Payment to income ratio: 37.8%
– Median sale price: $327,177
– Median household income: $66,354
– Income needed to buy: $83,549
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,089

#16. Avondale
– Payment to income ratio: 39.6%
– Median sale price: $419,980
– Median household income: $81,260
– Income needed to buy: $107,247
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,681

#17. Oro Valley
– Payment to income ratio: 40.2%
– Median sale price: $552,179
– Median household income: $105,342
– Income needed to buy: $141,006
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,525

#18. Chandler
– Payment to income ratio: 41.9%
– Median sale price: $567,692
– Median household income: $103,691
– Income needed to buy: $144,968
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,624

#19. Peoria
– Payment to income ratio: 44.0%
– Median sale price: $536,764
– Median household income: $93,403
– Income needed to buy: $137,070
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $3,427

#20. Fortuna Foothills
– Payment to income ratio: 44.6%
– Median sale price: $335,012
– Median household income: $57,583
– Income needed to buy: $85,550
– Median monthly mortgage payment: $2,139

This article has been republished pursuant to a CC BY-NC 4.0 License.