Retiring to Phoenix–Mesa, AZ

Selling a home for $525,000 and keeping $150,000 in the bank leaves room to buy in 0 of 15 Phoenix neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (after 6% selling costs, buying at the neighborhood median). Property tax in Phoenix runs about 0.48% of value a year (Census ACS 2023).

Questions? Call or text Chris Harris, REALTOR®: (270) 421-8726.

What you expect to sell your home for

Cash to keep in the bank

What do you want close?

Next steps, your choice

Plan a scouting week

One neighborhood a day: the drive to the hospital and homes to see.

Plan my visit

Share with family

A link that reopens this page on the same town. Nothing else is in it.

Ask Chris

Chris Harris, REALTOR®, reads every note himself. He is not licensed in Arizona, so for showings and offers he introduces you to a licensed agent there; he may receive a referral fee from that agent’s brokerage, which does not change your price. Can’t visit first? Say so in your note.

Every neighborhood we have numbers for

Neighborhoods with 5+ sales, Oct 2025–Sep 2026 (Redfin), cheapest first by town. Minutes: typical drive, no traffic to the nearest of each kind, © openrouteservice.org by HeiGIT | Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors.

Neighborhood	Town	Median sale	Sales	Hospital	VA medical center	Airport	Downtown
Maryvale	Phoenix	$354,901	1294	23 min	26 min	27 min	21 min
Alhambra	Phoenix	$364,898	950	14 min	12 min	18 min	12 min
South Mountain	Phoenix	$386,822	972	19 min	25 min	18 min	16 min
North Mountain	Phoenix	$391,390	1672	23 min	15 min	29 min	26 min
Deer Valley	Phoenix	$424,881	1868	26 min	26 min	30 min	25 min
South Phoenix	Phoenix	$439,877	2885	15 min	19 min	14 min	10 min
Laveen	Phoenix	$450,864	921	26 min	30 min	27 min	22 min
Encanto	Phoenix	$459,821	676	7 min	4 min	14 min	7 min
Monterey Arcadia	Phoenix	$496,611	644	–	–	–	–
North Phoenix	Phoenix	$514,856	7595	17 min	15 min	21 min	16 min
Ahwatukee Foothills	Phoenix	$519,854	992	28 min	36 min	31 min	32 min
Willow	Phoenix	$526,852	466	8 min	12 min	10 min	10 min
Cholla	Phoenix	$532,351	457	8 min	13 min	10 min	10 min
Camelback East	Phoenix	$589,835	1920	13 min	10 min	16 min	16 min
Mesquite	Phoenix	$739,793	538	8 min	13 min	9 min	9 min

Check crime data

We don’t grade neighborhoods on crime. Look up the streets you’re considering in Phoenix with the agency that patrols them:

Phoenix (PPD) (crime data page)
FBI Crime Data Explorer (agency-level reports)

What Arizona doesn’t tax

Private pensions, 401(k) and IRA withdrawals are taxed at the flat rate; pensions from Arizona state/local government or U.S. government civil service get a limited subtraction (see the Form 140 instructions for the amount).
Beginning with tax year 2021, 100% of retired or retainer pay of the uniformed services can be subtracted (each spouse separately).
Senior Property Valuation Protection ('Senior Freeze'): freezes the limited property value (not the tax) for three years, renewable, for owners 65 and older who have lived in the home two years, with all owners' gross income under $47,712 (one owner) or $59,640 (two or more); apply in person with the county assessor by September 1.

Full details: Arizona retirement taxes →

Source: Arizona Department of Revenue, Identifying Other Taxable Income (read 2026-10-17); Pinal County Assessor (state program under Ariz. Const. art. 9 s. 18); limits set by the Arizona Department of Revenue (read 2026-10-17). Figures change each year; confirm with the agency before you rely on them. Not tax advice.

The twenty-year test

Which of these do you need in the house you will live in for twenty years?

Email me homes that pass

The alert matches what the listing feed has: price, bedrooms, bathrooms, year built and house type. Chris checks each match for the features the listing feed can’t see.

Home prices: Redfin neighborhood medians, Jul–Sep 2026, neighborhoods with 5+ sales. Property tax: Census ACS 2023 effective rates. Selling costs estimated at 6% of the sale price.