Arizona · Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area

Buying a home in Tempe, Arizona

In Tempe, the median value of owner-occupied homes is $455,400, Maricopa County's effective property tax rate is 0.44%, a purchase mortgage carried a median $8,516 in total loan costs in 2025, and median gross rent is $1,743 a month.

Data as of : Census ACS 2020-2024, Census Vintage 2024, HMDA 2025, HUD FY 2027. Sources

Tempe home costs, fact by fact

About Tempe

Part of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area, ranked 10th in the country, Tempe in Arizona has 190,114 residents. HUD's Fair Market Rent for a two-bedroom in Maricopa County is $1,734, and median gross rent is $1,743 a month.

Reading the Tempe figures

Tempe reads as a renter's city before anything else: just 42.3% of households own. Tucson (51.8%) and Glendale (57.2%) come closest, while Buckeye reaches 86%, and San Tan Valley 82.2%. Values tell a different story. At $455,400, Tempe rises over the state's $427,600, over Surprise's $435,100, yet stays beneath Goodyear's $471,300.

Monthly rent of $1,743 hugs HUD's $1,734 for a smaller home across the metro, whereas the figures for Surprise and Gilbert are $2,033 and $2,110. Chandler's $1,902 rent comes with a 65% owner share, which shows how thin Tempe's owner base is by comparison. Owners across Maricopa County face a 0.44% effective rate and a $1,983 median bill, and the median 2025 loan cost $8,516 to close, while middle borrowers paid between $5,536 and $13,577. HUD puts a larger home at $2,287, and Mesa's rent of $1,620 sits below Tempe's.

Calculate for Arizona

If you buy

Arizona state transfer tax

Arizona has no real estate transfer tax. Change the price: the amount is recalculated instantly.

Price$427,600
State transfer tax$0
Share of the price—

Default price: the Arizona median value of owner-occupied homes, $427,600 (Census ACS 2025). Rule: No tax is levied on the price. The $2 fee is flat and already part of the $30 recording fee. Who pays: Section 11-1132 says the recorder collects the $2 before recording but does not say which party pays; it appears in the recorder's charge on the closing statement. Not included: county and city transfer taxes, recording fees, title insurance and lender charges. Arizona transfer tax guide · all 50 states.

If you sell

Capital gain and the federal tax on it

Same federal rule in every state: Section 121 of the Internal Revenue Code excludes up to $250,000 of gain on a main home ($500,000 for a married couple filing jointly).

Capital gain$350,000
Section 121 exclusion$250,000 (limit $250,000)
Taxable gain$100,000
Type of gainLong-term (owned over 1 year), 15% chosen
Federal tax on the gain$15,000

Section 121 excludes $250,000; the rest is taxable.

Gain = sale price minus your adjusted basis (purchase price, buying costs and improvements); selling expenses reduce it (IRS Publication 523). Long-term rates for sales in 2026, by taxable income including the gain (IRS Rev. Proc. 2025-32, section 4.03): 0% up to $49,450 single or $98,900 married filing jointly, 15% up to $545,500 single or $613,700 jointly, 20% above. Not included: Arizona state income tax on the gain (not computed), the net investment income tax, depreciation recapture on a rental or home office, and the reduced exclusion for an early sale. Agent commissions are negotiated and never set by law. Capital gains on a home sale.

Questions about buying a home in Tempe

How much is property tax in Tempe?

Homeowners in Maricopa County pay a median $1,983 a year in property tax, 0.44% of the county median home value of $452,800 (Census ACS 2020-2024). Your bill depends on your assessed value and local rates.

What are closing costs on a mortgage in Tempe?

Home-purchase mortgages in Maricopa County carried median total loan costs of $8,516 in 2025; half of the 45,177 loans fell between $5,536 and $13,577 (HMDA). Total loan costs are the lender and settlement-service charges of the Closing Disclosure; transfer taxes and prepaid items come on top.

Is there a transfer tax when you buy a home in Tempe?

Arizona charges no percentage transfer tax on a home sale. The Arizona Constitution bars new transfer taxes and fees, and the only per-sale charge is a $2 fee included in the $30 per instrument county recording fee.

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in Tempe?

It depends on your mortgage rate, down payment and how long you stay. As a benchmark, the median value of owner-occupied homes in Tempe ($455,400) equals 21.8 years of the median gross rent ($1,743 a month), both from Census ACS 2020-2024.

What natural hazards affect home insurance in Tempe?

Across Arizona, the main hazards for home insurance are extreme heat, flood, expansive soils and fissures. Maricopa County recorded 430 heat-related deaths in 2025, down from 608 in 2024; flood is the hazard standard insurance leaves out, and flood insurance is required only in high-risk zones with a federally backed mortgage.

Run your own numbers: rent vs buy calculator · closing costs calculator.

Arizona rules that apply in Tempe

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Sources

Arizona · All states · Federal guides