What actually sets Arizona apart
Arizona's split between primary and secondary rates matters when you compare quotes: a district that has recently passed bond overrides can add materially to the secondary rate without any change in the primary rate or in your home's value.
Property taxes in Arizona at a glance
- Average effective tax rate: 0.52% of home value per year
- Median home value: $358,900
- Estimated tax on a median-value home: $1,858 per year (about $155 per month)
- Rank by tax rate: 45th of 50, highest first
- Rank by amount actually paid: 36th of 50, highest first
- Where these figures come from: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 5-year estimates, for the Arizona statewide averages shown above — ACS 2019-2023 5-year estimates, last reviewed September 2026.
What the Arizona rate leaves out
Arizona is 45th of the fifty by rate and 36th by the bill a median-value owner receives — a shift of 9 places, and the $358,900 median home value is what causes it. The rate is a reasonable shorthand here, but it is not the whole answer, and both numbers are worth checking before comparing Arizona with anywhere else.
How Arizona works out what you owe
Residential property is assessed at 10% of its limited property value, and the tax is split between a primary rate that funds general government and a secondary rate that funds bonds and overrides.
The limited property value used for the primary tax cannot rise more than 5% a year, which smooths out sharp market swings for existing owners.
Exemptions Arizona homeowners should claim
Each of these reduces an Arizona bill every year you hold the property, and almost none are granted without a claim:
- Widow, widower and disability exemption: An exemption on assessed value for qualifying widows, widowers and totally disabled owners, subject to income and property value limits.
- Senior Property Valuation Protection: Owners aged 65 or older who meet income limits can freeze the limited property value of their primary residence, so the assessment stops climbing even as the market moves.
Where you buy inside Arizona changes the bill
A statewide average hides its extremes. Where they show up in Arizona:
- Maricopa County: Phoenix and its suburbs, where most of the state's housing stock and most of its mortgages sit
- Pima County: Tucson's combined rates run noticeably above the Maricopa norm, so the same price buys a higher tax bill
- Coconino County: Flagstaff and the northern high country, where second homes and short-term rentals are taxed differently from primary residences
Arizona and its neighbours
The same $358,900 — the Arizona median — taxed at each neighbouring state's average rate:
- California at 0.71%: about $2,548 a year, roughly $690 more than the $1,858 an Arizona owner would pay on the same value.
- Nevada at 0.49%: about $1,759 a year, roughly $99 less than the $1,858 an Arizona owner would pay on the same value.
- Utah at 0.53%: about $1,902 a year, roughly $44 more than the $1,858 an Arizona owner would pay on the same value.
- New Mexico at 0.72%: about $2,584 a year, roughly $726 more than the $1,858 an Arizona owner would pay on the same value.
- Colorado at 0.49%: about $1,759 a year, roughly $99 less than the $1,858 an Arizona owner would pay on the same value.
Appealing an Arizona assessment
If the assessed value on your Arizona home overstates what it is worth, the route is an appeal to the county assessor, then the State Board of Equalization or Tax Court. The window is within 60 days of the notice of value, and it is strict — missing it means waiting a full cycle.
Frequently asked questions
When are Arizona property taxes due, and when must exemption claims be filed?
Bills are issued in September. The first half is due 1 October and the second half 1 March. Applications are filed with the county assessor, generally between January and the end of February.
Does this calculator use my exact Arizona county tax rate?
No — it applies the Arizona statewide average of 0.52%. Rates are set locally, and the spread inside Arizona is wide enough to matter: on a $358,900 home, $1,671 a year separates Arizona from an averagely taxed state before any county variation is counted. Check the parcel's own rate with its Arizona county before relying on this figure.
Reference sources
Related calculators
How this estimate is built
Principal and interest come from the standard amortization formula, worked through in full on the formula reference page. Property tax, insurance, PMI and loan-program figures layer on top from published assumptions — each one sourced, dated and listed on the methodology page. Every result here is an estimate built from public data, not a quote: confirm the specifics with a lender before relying on it.
For developers
This calculation is also available as a REST API and through an MCP server, both running the same engine as this page — so the figures match by construction rather than by convention. No key required.