Glendale vs Tucson
The short version
- Tucson is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Glendale area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $266,200 in Tucson and $387,500 in Glendale.
- Households earn more in Glendale ($73,530 vs $57,073 median).
- Glendale is growing faster: +4.9% since 2020 vs +1.1%.
- Commutes are shorter in Tucson (22 vs 28 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Glendale, AZ | Tucson, AZ | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 260,572 | 548,371 |
| Growth since 2020 | +4.9% | +1.1% |
| People per square mile | 3,875 | 2,264 |
| Median age | 34.6 | 34.6 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 24% | 31% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $73,530 | $57,073 |
| Median home value | $387,500 | $266,200 |
| Home value to income | 5.3× | 4.7× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,528 | $1,145 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 103.3 | 96.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 121.2 | 91.8 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $77,500 | $72,700 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 52% |
| Top state income tax | 2.5% | 2.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.54% | 8.54% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 27.7 | 21.9 |
| Work from home | 14% | 14% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 2% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.6% | 6.2% |
| Poverty rate | 15.1% | 18.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 65° / 41° | 67° / 41° |
| July high / low | 105° / 80° | 100° / 76° |
| Precipitation per year | 8 in | 11 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 176 | 158 |
| Nights below freezing | 4 | 12 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.9 | 99.1 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 7% | 34% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.8% | +1.9% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +35.8% | +39.5% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Glendale: February to April and November. Tucson: February to April and November.
Full monthly tables: Glendale weather by month and Tucson weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $77,500 in Glendale and $72,700 in Tucson. Moving from Glendale to Tucson, you would need about $70,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Glendale and Tucson
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Glendale and Tucson.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.