Photo: Musicoceanfan88 at English Wikipedia · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, Marana costs more to live in than 87% of U.S. towns
It ranks #130 of 139 in Arizona for affordability. Down 1.4% in a year, close to the Arizona typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Tucson, AZ metro area ($70K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Tucson-area metro earn ($70K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 5.9 years of metro income, and 42% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $416Ktypical home, 0% below the Arizona typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,890a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 5.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$70K, Tucson-area income
- 31%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 42%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across Arizona: 51%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Marana’s housing numbers say
A high property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.83% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.48% across Arizona. The median bill is $3,428 (Arizona: $1,879). On the typical home, that’s about $290 a month. Property taxes ↓
Building at more than twice the Arizona pace
Builders were permitted 918 new homes in 2025: 16 per 1,000 residents, against 7 across Arizona. That’s 11,269 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Marana’s homes were built after 2008, against 1992 for Arizona as a whole. Property taxes ↓
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 May 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Marana’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marana is more affordable than 13% of U.S. towns, #130 of 139 in Arizona. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Arizona: up 10.3% in five years, against 6.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 10.3% in five years
Faster than Arizona (6.9%).
Show as a table
| January | Marana | Arizona |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $247,000 | $227,000 |
| 2018 | $261,000 | $244,000 |
| 2019 | $277,000 | $263,000 |
| 2020 | $289,000 | $281,000 |
| 2021 | $322,000 | $324,000 |
| 2022 | $400,000 | $415,000 |
| 2023 | $422,000 | $428,000 |
| 2024 | $427,000 | $432,000 |
| 2025 | $431,000 | $433,000 |
| 2026 | $422,000 | $422,000 |
| September 2026 | $416,000 | $417,000 |
A typical Marana home worth $242K in October 2016 is worth about $416K 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 3.3 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, May 2026.
A typical home costs 5.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Marana’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $141K short of a typical Marana home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,890 a month here, $580 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Marana’s typical property tax (0.83% 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 $1,890
Renters already here pay a median of $1,818.
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.
918 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 918 new homes in Marana in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $382.2 million to build. That's 16 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Arizona (7). Over the past 10 years, Marana has permitted 11,269 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Marana gained 16,947 residents while 6,828 new homes were permitted: about 2.5 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) | 726 | 726 | 0 | $305.1 million |
| 2025 | 918 | 918 | 0 | $382.2 million |
| 2024 | 1,544 | 1,192 | 352 | $546.2 million |
| 2023 | 1,532 | 880 | 652 | $443.8 million |
| 2022 | 1,601 | 949 | 652 | $402.8 million |
| 2021 | 1,461 | 1,252 | 209 | $440.7 million |
| 2020 | 913 | 913 | 0 | $291.6 million |
| 2019 | 808 | 808 | 0 | $259.4 million |
| 2018 | 1,108 | 828 | 280 | $287.3 million |
| 2017 | 788 | 788 | 0 | $235.7 million |
| 2016 | 596 | 596 | 0 | $180.9 million |
| 2015 | 633 | 633 | 0 | $190.9 million |
| 2014 | 639 | 639 | 0 | $172 million |
| 2013 | 702 | 702 | 0 | $204 million |
| 2012 | 706 | 706 | 0 | $190.7 million |
| 2011 | 337 | 337 | 0 | $93.5 million |
| 2010 | 511 | 343 | 168 | $101.4 million |
| 2009 | 199 | 199 | 0 | $35 million |
| 2008 | 256 | 256 | 0 | $48.5 million |
| 2007 | 579 | 579 | 0 | $102.1 million |
| 2006 | 806 | 806 | 0 | $157.8 million |
| 2005 | 1,771 | 1,771 | 0 | $308.6 million |
| 2004 | 1,398 | 1,398 | 0 | $218.7 million |
| 2003 | 1,206 | 1,206 | 0 | $177.3 million |
| 2002 | 1,040 | 960 | 80 | $140.5 million |
| 2001 | 1,062 | 772 | 290 | $110.8 million |
| 2000 | 689 | 689 | 0 | $85.2 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs above the Arizona norm
The median bill is $3,428 (Arizona: $1,879), 0.83% 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+”.
Marana vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Marana has the 2nd-lowest. Tucson Mountains and Casas Adobes and Picture Rocks and Nelson have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Marana | D | $416K | $414K | 0.83% | $1,890 |
| Casas Adobes | D | — | $343K | 0.76% | $1,740 |
| Picture Rocks | B+ | — | $230K | 0.58% | $1,820 |
| Tucson Mountains | D | — | $473K | 0.96% | $1,530 |
| Tucson | C | $319K | $266K | 0.67% | $1,620 |
| Nelson | – | — | $96K | 1.08% | $1,620 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Marana
Is Marana expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Marana costs more than 87% of U.S. towns: a D for cost of living, #130 of 139 in Arizona. The typical home costs 5.9 years of the median household income of the Tucson, AZ metro area ($70K).
How much does a house cost in Marana?
About $416K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.4% in a year. The Arizona typical home is $417K.
What salary do you need to live in Marana?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $106,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,470 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $76,000.
How much is rent in Marana?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,890 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,818 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Marana?
The median bill is $3,428 a year, 0.83% of the median home value (Arizona: $1,879, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Marana going up?
No: down 1.4% in the past year and 10.3% in five years, against 6.9% across Arizona (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Marana 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, May 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.