Photo: Marine 69-71 · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Apache Junction costs less to live in than 80% of U.S. towns
It ranks #25 of 139 in Arizona for affordability. Down 1.9% in a year, 11% below the Arizona typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area ($88K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
In dollars, homes in Apache Junction cost less than the Arizona typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Phoenix-area incomes are lower too ($88K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 0.43% of a home’s value a year (Arizona: 0.48%), and 56% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $370Ktypical home, 11% below the Arizona typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,530a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$88K, Phoenix-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 56%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Arizona: 51%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Apache Junction, in brief
Prices are 10% below their 2022 peak
The typical Apache Junction home peaked at $412K in July 2022 and is worth about $370K now. Arizona as a whole is 10% off its own peak. Over five years, Apache Junction is still up 6.6%. Price trend ↓
Building at 4 times the Arizona pace
Builders were permitted 1,124 new homes in 2025: 27 per 1,000 residents, against 7 across Arizona. That’s 4,250 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
A burst of building in 2024
Apache Junction permitted 1,140 new homes in 2024, against about 346 in a typical year of the past decade. 2025 came in at 1,124. New homes ↓
The least expensive town in its area
All three neighboring towns with a Zillow value cost more than Apache Junction. The closest is Mesa at $429K; Queen Creek tops the list at $630K. Vs. neighbors ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Apache Junction’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Apache Junction is more affordable than 80% of U.S. towns, #25 of 139 in Arizona. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Arizona: up 6.6% in five years, against 6.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 6.6% in five years
About the same pace as Arizona (6.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Apache Junction | Arizona |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $185,000 | $227,000 |
| 2018 | $201,000 | $244,000 |
| 2019 | $224,000 | $263,000 |
| 2020 | $243,000 | $281,000 |
| 2021 | $281,000 | $324,000 |
| 2022 | $370,000 | $415,000 |
| 2023 | $378,000 | $428,000 |
| 2024 | $382,000 | $432,000 |
| 2025 | $386,000 | $433,000 |
| 2026 | $375,000 | $422,000 |
| September 2026 | $370,000 | $417,000 |
A typical Apache Junction home worth $182K in October 2016 is worth about $370K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A seller's market
Supply is tight — about 3.4 months of homes for sale at the current pace. Buyers should expect competition on well-priced homes.
Under ~4 months of supply favors sellers; over ~6 favors buyers.
Redfin Data Center, all residential sales, September 2026.
A typical home costs 2.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Apache Junction’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $3K short of a typical Apache Junction home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,530 a month here, $540 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Apache Junction’s typical property tax (0.43% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,530
Renters already here pay a median of $1,146, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
1,124 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 1,124 new homes in Apache Junction in 2025: 786 single-family houses and 338 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $312.8 million to build. That's 27 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Arizona (7). Over the past 10 years, Apache Junction has permitted 4,250 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Apache Junction gained 2,659 residents while 965 new homes were permitted: about 2.8 new residents per new home, about the same as across Arizona (2.6).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 950 | 920 | 30 | $312.5 million |
| 2025 | 1,124 | 786 | 338 | $312.8 million |
| 2024 | 1,140 | 1,064 | 76 | $346.5 million |
| 2023 | 1,039 | 943 | 96 | $297.2 million |
| 2022 | 175 | 101 | 74 | $41.1 million |
| 2021 | 254 | 238 | 16 | $63.2 million |
| 2020 | 153 | 131 | 22 | $21.2 million |
| 2019 | 108 | 108 | 0 | $15.5 million |
| 2018 | 163 | 111 | 52 | $18 million |
| 2017 | 42 | 38 | 4 | $5.9 million |
| 2016 | 52 | 52 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2015 | 40 | 32 | 8 | $5.6 million |
| 2014 | 41 | 38 | 3 | $5.3 million |
| 2013 | 87 | 67 | 20 | $11.2 million |
| 2012 | 271 | 183 | 88 | $31.8 million |
| 2011 | 57 | 57 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| 2010 | 104 | 104 | 0 | $13.6 million |
| 2009 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $5.2 million |
| 2008 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $5.9 million |
| 2007 | 151 | 143 | 8 | $18.9 million |
| 2006 | 233 | 222 | 11 | $25.4 million |
| 2005 | 144 | 144 | 0 | $15.7 million |
| 2004 | 100 | 100 | 0 | $9.3 million |
| 2003 | 212 | 190 | 22 | $17.6 million |
| 2002 | 296 | 268 | 28 | $25.2 million |
| 2001 | 652 | 472 | 180 | $58.1 million |
| 2000 | 297 | 293 | 4 | $22.6 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the Arizona norm
The median bill is $908 (Arizona: $1,879), 0.43% of a home’s value a year, against 0.48% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Apache Junction vs. its neighbors
Of the 4 towns here with a Zillow value, Apache Junction has the lowest.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache Junction | A− | $370K | $212K | 0.43% | $1,530 |
| Mesa | C | $429K | $408K | 0.39% | $1,960 |
| Gold Canyon | C | $478K | $508K | 0.57% | $1,580 |
| Queen Creek | C− | $630K | $635K | 0.43% | $2,420 |
Questions about the cost of living in Apache Junction
Is Apache Junction expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Apache Junction costs less than 80% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #25 of 139 in Arizona. The typical home costs 2.4 years of the median household income of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area ($88K).
How much does a house cost in Apache Junction?
About $370K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.9% in a year. The Arizona typical home is $417K.
What salary do you need to live in Apache Junction?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $89,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,070 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $61,000.
How much is rent in Apache Junction?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,530 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,146 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Apache Junction?
The median bill is $908 a year, 0.43% of the median home value (Arizona: $1,879, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Apache Junction going up?
No: down 1.9% in the past year and 6.6% in five years, against 6.9% across Arizona (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Apache Junction buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.