Photo: Gillfoto · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Tombstone costs less to live in than 87% of U.S. towns
Up 3.4% in a year, 44% below the Arizona typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ metro area ($60K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in May 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Sierra Vista-area metro earn ($60K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.1 years of metro income, and 41% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $232Ktypical home, 44% below the Arizona typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,090a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.1 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$60K, Sierra Vista-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Tombstone’s housing numbers say
Building at 4 times the Arizona pace
Builders were permitted 29 new homes in 2025: 28 per 1,000 residents, against 7 across Arizona. That’s 66 in the past 10 years. New homes ↓
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,143, under the Arizona median of $1,879, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 0.63% a year, against 0.48% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $120 a month. Property taxes ↓
Still rising while Arizona slips
Over the past year the typical Tombstone home gained 3.4%, while the Arizona typical home lost 1%. Price trend ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Tombstone’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Tombstone is more affordable than 87% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with Arizona: up 8.2% in five years, against 6.9% statewide (Zillow).
Up 3.4% in a year
Faster than Arizona (-1%).
Show as a table
| January | Tombstone | Arizona |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $134,000 | $227,000 |
| 2018 | $136,000 | $244,000 |
| 2019 | $150,000 | $263,000 |
| 2020 | $177,000 | $281,000 |
| 2021 | $197,000 | $324,000 |
| 2022 | $219,000 | $415,000 |
| 2023 | $235,000 | $428,000 |
| 2024 | $235,000 | $432,000 |
| 2025 | $227,000 | $433,000 |
| 2026 | $228,000 | $422,000 |
| September 2026 | $232,000 | $417,000 |
A typical Tombstone home worth $132K in October 2016 is worth about $232K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A year’s rent takes 13% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Tombstone’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Tombstone home, with $11K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,090 a month here, $250 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Tombstone’s typical property tax (0.63% 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 $1,090
Renters already here pay a median of $668, 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 (Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
29 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 29 new homes in Tombstone in 2025: 15 single-family houses and 14 in buildings with two or more homes, worth about $1.8 million to build. That's 28 per 1,000 residents, faster than across Arizona (7). Over the past 10 years, Tombstone has permitted 66 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Tombstone's population fell by 72 even though 15 new homes were permitted. Homes are holding fewer people: households are getting smaller, or more homes are used part of the year. Across Arizona: 2.6 new residents per new home.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 8 | 8 | 0 | $817,000 |
| 2025 | 29 | 15 | 14 | $1.8 million |
| 2024 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $915,000 |
| 2023 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $786,000 |
| 2022 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $642,000 |
| 2021 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $900,000 |
| 2020 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $240,000 |
| 2019 | 3 | 3 | 0 | $206,000 |
| 2018 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $296,000 |
| 2017 | 3 | 1 | 2 | $150,000 |
| 2016 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $150,000 |
| 2015 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2014 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $130,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $120,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $183,000 |
| 2011 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $200,000 |
| 2010 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $310,000 |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $310,000 |
| 2008 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $327,000 |
| 2007 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $490,000 |
| 2006 | 11 | 11 | 0 | $1.5 million |
| 2005 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2004 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $698,000 |
| 2003 | 6 | 6 | 0 | $698,000 |
| 2002 | 6 | 4 | 2 | $668,000 |
| 2001 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $649,000 |
| 2000 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $700,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,143, under the Arizona median of $1,879, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 0.63% 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+”.
Tombstone and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tombstone | A | $232K | $183K | 0.63% | $1,090 |
Questions about the cost of living in Tombstone
Is Tombstone expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Tombstone costs less than 87% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.1 years of the median household income of the Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ metro area ($60K).
How much does a house cost in Tombstone?
About $232K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 3.4% in a year. The Arizona typical home is $417K.
What salary do you need to live in Tombstone?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $57,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,340 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $44,000.
How much is rent in Tombstone?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,090 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $668 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Tombstone?
The median bill is $1,143 a year, 0.63% of the median home value (Arizona: $1,879, 0.48%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Tombstone going up?
Yes: up 3.4% in the past year and 8.2% in five years, against 6.9% across Arizona (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Tombstone 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.