Arizona rent guide
The Cheapest Places to Rent in Metro Phoenix (July 2026)
Data as of Jun 9, 2026 · 961 rentals across 20 Valley cities
Metro Phoenix is a sprawl of a few dozen cities, and the rent map isn’t the one most people expect. There isn’t a simple cheap-edge, pricey-core split: the typical rent across the Valley is fairly compressed, and the best value tends to sit in the older, established cities rather than the newer suburbs out on the rim.
Right now the lowest typical rent is in El Mirage (around $1,157/mo), while Scottsdale is the clear premium ($1,505/mo median). That’s only about a $348/mo gap from the cheapest city to the priciest, so in the Valley the building you choose usually matters more than the city. Everything below is ranked by typical rent.
Valley cities by typical rent, cheapest first
| # | City | Typical | From | Listings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | El Mirage | $1,157 | $975 | 3 |
| 2 | Glendale | $1,178 | $813 | 60 |
| 3 | Phoenix | $1,199 | $800 | 357 |
| 4 | Peoria | $1,214 | $850 | 34 |
| 5 | Mesa | $1,226 | $899 | 78 |
| 6 | Avondale | $1,242 | $999 | 16 |
| 7 | Maricopa | $1,262 | $999 | 9 |
| 8 | Casa Grande | $1,295 | $1,000 | 15 |
| 9 | Tempe | $1,299 | $821 | 86 |
| 10 | Goodyear | $1,319 | $1,000 | 31 |
| 11 | Fountain Hills | $1,379 | $1,000 | 3 |
| 12 | Gilbert | $1,380 | $1,000 | 41 |
| 13 | Buckeye | $1,395 | $1,165 | 6 |
| 14 | Surprise | $1,399 | $1,000 | 28 |
| 15 | Chandler | $1,439 | $899 | 68 |
| 16 | Tolleson | $1,451 | $1,000 | 8 |
| 17 | Apache Junction | $1,499 | $847 | 5 |
| 18 | Queen Creek | $1,500 | $1,378 | 9 |
| 19 | Scottsdale | $1,505 | $849 | 102 |
Reading the table
“Typical” is the median rent across everything we track in that city, so half the listings are cheaper and half pricier; it’s the honest number to compare cities on. “From” is the single cheapest unit listed right now, which a big city like Phoenix will always have a few of, so don’t read too much into one low number. We include Valley cities with at least three live listings and leave out single rooms and senior housing. If you want the lowest typical rent, start at the top of the list; if you’re set on a newer build or being near Old Town Scottsdale, expect to pay toward the bottom. Refreshes when our data does (last updated Jun 9, 2026).
Frequently asked questions
Where is the cheapest rent in the Phoenix area?
By typical (median) rent it's El Mirage, around $1,157/mo, with Glendale and Phoenix right behind. These are the established inner-Valley cities, not the far-out suburbs, which is the opposite of what most people guess.
Is Phoenix cheaper than its suburbs?
It's a wash, and that surprises people. The newer outer suburbs (Queen Creek, Gilbert, Chandler) tend to run a bit higher because the housing stock is newer, while older west-Valley cities like Glendale and Mesa are some of the best value in the metro. Scottsdale is the clear premium at about $1,505/mo.
How big is the rent gap across metro Phoenix?
Smaller than in a place like the Bay Area. The typical rent runs from about $1,157/mo in El Mirage up to $1,505/mo in Scottsdale, roughly a $348/mo spread across the whole Valley. Which city you pick matters less here than the specific building.
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