15 Retiring in Arizona Pros And Cons

After becoming a state in 1912, Arizona quickly built up a reputation as an incredible place to retire. Arizona has a higher cost of living than other states, but it offers you many benefits. If you’re figuring out is Arizona an excellent place to retire. Here is all the essential information you must know. Read the article to know all about retiring in Arizona- pros and cons to decide for yourself if Arizona is worth the living or not.

If you’re thinking of moving to Arizona, you might want to know about climate, cost of living, and taxes. Although the climate can be a little tough for some people, the consistent weather of the state makes it one of the desirable places to retire. Nevertheless, living in Arizona does not come without a downside.

Here is a comprehensive guideline of the pros and cons of living in Arizona. Let’s see what Arizona offers and the cost of your planned retired life.

Retiring in Arizona-Pros

Retiring in Arizona provide you an opportunity to explore urban locations, relish modern facilities, and easily accessible travel opportunities. A lot of flexibility within different communities can be enjoyed all across the state.

If you have Arizona in the list of options springing in your mind to relocate after you are no longer a part of full-time labor. Here are all the pros and cons for you to consider before going for the option.

Let’s first cover all the pros.

Scenery in Arizona

No state other than Arizona will let you enjoy the scenic views and a lot of sunshine. It’s a perfect place to spend your retired life if you do not like to wake up to the overcast sky. The state allows you to enjoy three hundred sunny days per year within multiple communities.

So, Arizona is the best option for people who prefer walking up to sunny days, where they can enjoy all-time long. That means you have more chances to get outside, stay active and enjoy these golden years of your life. If a change in surroundings is what you want, Arizona is a perfect choice.

There are a lot of benefits of living in Arizona, including world-class golf, award-winning restaurants, and much more.

Less humidity

Moving further into the topic of retiring in Arizona pros and cons the next benefit of living in Arizona would be to experience less humidity.

As most of Arizona possesses a desert-like climate, you do not have to worry about the hot and humid climate that you can experience in other retirement destinations. A humidity level above 60 makes them feel muggy and uncomfortable about them.

That’s what makes Arizona a great place to live. You will not have to face muggy days due to high humidity. No state other than Arizona has a lower humidity level because of geographic conditions.

If you want to live in a place free of mugginess or cold, Arizona is your perfect destination.

Fewer Tax Burdens

In comparison to other states, Arizona offers its residents fewer burdens when it comes to taxes. Thus, residents can keep more of their hard-earned money. Although some parts of the state can cost you all the savings to manage the cost of living, most areas of the states are highly affordable where you can get along without much.

Arizona mostly has a low and flat personal income tax structure. Personal tax is not the only option for the state to collect money from the citizen. Arizona drives half of its tax revenue from sales and excise taxes.

You must look at every aspect of living in Arizona-pros and cons, to choose whether you should go to Arizona or not, and by the end of the article, you will be clear about it.

Reasonable Cost of living

You may find it difficult to believe, but Arizona offers a reasonably affordable cost of living. After retirement, the average couple can live in Arizona for about $1500 per month. Note that adding housing costs to that figure can double if you live in Flagstaff or Phoenix.

A one-bedroom apartment costs $880 in Phoenix. However, there are a lot of variations in cities, so if you decide to live further or near the California border, it shouldn’t be hard for you to find a place where you can reasonably afford to live.

With costly markets like Nevada and south California not so far away, this pocket of the southwest can provide you a significant advantage to live and look at with your expenses.

Still Opportunities to Work

The booming industrial market of Arizona offers room for plenty of job opportunities. With the increasing unemployment rate in the country, it is necessary to find a place where you can get a job. Arizona is the wealthiest economy, bolstered by healthcare, IT, construction, and aerospace employment.

Continuing to work can give you a sense of purpose in life, so if you like to stay active even in your retirement days, Arizona offers you plenty of jobs, and that too across the state.

In comparing living in Arizona pros and cons, keep in mind that you can work in tourism or any other sector that could benefit from your life experience in Arizona. Phoenix and Tuscan are two main hubs for several industries and offices that offer blue-collar jobs.

Healthcare Quality

Arizona ranks fourth on the chart of health quality care. The state provides Health care accessibility readily to citizens. The state has better nursing and hospital quality than most of the states.

The Arizona Health care cost containment system (AHCCCS) is an innovative step by the government to provide medical care services to the people of Arizona.

Moreover, Arizona’s population skews young. This makes it an excellent place for young professionals, especially in Phoenix and Tucson. Unlike states like Florida, Arizona is staying young, not growing older.

Catch Professional Sports

One of the best things about being in Arizona is you can enjoy the robust sports culture of the state. The best time for sports in Arizona is undoubtedly the spring in which the basketball teams conduct their pre-season training.

Talking about retiring in Arizona-pros and cons, if you are interested in sports like football, baseball living in Arizona won’t disappoint you. The sports have professional teams for such sports, i.e., cardinals represent the NFL and sun signify NBA.

In Arizona, you can’t find any excuse for not going out and enjoying your favorite sports activity as the state has a lot to provide to keep you active.

Plenty of Youth in Arizona

If you are on early retirement, you might want to surround yourself with younger people. That’s what Arizona offers you a huge population of young people.

Relying on which area you reside in the state, the median age falls between twenty-nine and forty-two, making it a fairly youthful place.

That means you can get plenty of mentorship activities that you can utilize in your retirement age.

A Lot of Diversity

When you learn about the pros and cons of living in Arizona, you will realize that the state is highly diverse in culture, so you have a lot of time to explore new cultures.

With its different museums to enjoy, musical values with open-air stages, and open-air symphony, Arizona can be an excellent place if you are interested in learning about other cultures and ethnicities.

Fun Road Trips

Living in Arizona means you can enjoy fun road trips to Nevada and California as they are just next to it. That, in general, means your vacations or weekends will no more be the same. Instead, it will be loaded with fun and adventure.

Retiring in Arizona Cons

List of the Cons of Retiring in Arizona

High Crime Rate

If you are deciding to spend your retired life in Arizona, carefully research the location. The crime rate in Arizona is greater than in other states. This disadvantage is due to the high pocket of crime in major cities like Phoenix that counters the lower rate of rural areas.

Several urban areas have a low crime rate as well. Make sure to speak to your realtor or real estate agent to choose the best option and save yourself from any trouble.

Hot weather in Arizona

Next, in discussing living in Arizona pros and cons, one thing to keep in mind is if you love Arizona for its not-so-cold nature, you can feel the opposite in summers.

 In a state where you won’t face a shortage of sunlight even in winters, the temperature exceeds 100 s the high from June to September.

The coldest month of the state is December, in which the temperature stays at 67c. That means summers in Arizona are unbearable.

You cannot go out in the afternoon as it is highly dangerous. You need to have AC inside the house to sustain this hot weather.

Drive if You Want to Travel

Arizona is not a happy valley for walking or biking. When measuring the pros and cons of living in Arizona, even if you put aside the brutal temperature of the state, it isn’t easy to navigate without a vehicle.

Phoenix has been ranked as one of the least walking-friendly cities in the state. You must need a personal car or transportation is a must for anyone living in the transport.

Fortunately, most of the state’s major cities have options for public transit. Nevertheless, it can still be a pain to route metropolitan areas without a personal vehicle, especially in large, widespread cities.

The Economy is Heavily Reliant.

Arizona relies on retirees to keep its economy going on. The economy is heavily reliant on construction and real estate. That means you have fewer opportunities to stay active.

However, you will still have access to a diverse population or enough space to enjoy evenings by yourself in your retirement age.

There may be some financial challenges waiting for you, but some parts of the state are highly affordable. There are plenty of pockets where you need to have more than a social security check to support you.

Sunshine Exposure May Not Be Good.

Increased sunshine rays can develop a skin condition that could worsen your overall health. You need to wear sunblock for your outdoor activities to minimize the risk.

The rate of melanoma in Arizona is about 50% less than in its neighboring state.

Dangerous Animals Snowbirds

Coming to the last point of retiring in Arizona-pros and cons, you can join snowbirds who visit Arizona during the winters if you are not a fan of hot weather.

If you decide to retire in Arizona, the influx of population sate face when the weather changes can be problematic for your cost of living.

The snowbirds typically rent a condo or apartment for their time in Arizona. That means you will have to make extra effort to access shopping, dining, or running errands.

If you are considering Arizona to live after retirement, these are all the points you should keep in mind before deciding. In the end, it’s up to you to determine whether the pros outweigh the cons to make a move or not.