Best Places to Buy Rental Property in Arizona (2026)

Arizona's statewide median sold price is $417,197, but 15 cities in the state closed at least 100 sales in the last six months at medians between $199,950 and $324,995. Those are the markets where an investor can actually get in below the state median, and they are the list below, ranked cheapest first.

Read this before the rankings. This list is built on two variables and only two: entry price and transaction volume. We do not publish rent estimates, rent-to-price ratios, cap rates, or cash-on-cash return figures at the city level, and neither should anyone else. Rent depends on the specific property, its condition, its floor plan, and its HOA rules far more than on the city line it sits inside. Verify rent per address and model it yourself with the rental property calculator and the deal analyzer. What this ranking does tell you is where your capital gets you through the door, and how easily you will be able to sell when you want out.

Arizona's most affordable markets with real transaction volume

1. Golden Valley, $199,950 median, 161 closings

The only Arizona market in our tracked set with a median under $200,000, closing 52% below the state figure. At 161 closings in six months, roughly 27 a month, liquidity is thin: your future buyer pool is small, and a listing that does not sell quickly here does not have many backup buyers waiting. Rural Mohave County stock varies enormously in condition and utility access, both of which need verifying per parcel.

2. Benson, $229,990 median, 115 closings

Southeastern Arizona, $229,990 median on 115 closings, about 19 a month. This is the lowest volume market on the entire list. Low entry price, genuinely limited exit liquidity. Suitable for a buyer with a long hold horizon and no need to sell on a schedule.

3. Kingman, $249,900 median, 530 closings

One of the two best price-to-liquidity tradeoffs in Arizona. A $249,900 median, 40% below the state, with 530 closings, roughly 88 a month. That volume means real comparable sales exist, valuations are better supported, and resale is not a one-buyer proposition. If you are looking for cheap Arizona with a functioning market attached, this is where it starts.

4. Bullhead City, $252,950 median, 538 closings

The highest volume market under $253,000 in the state: 538 closings, about 90 a month, at a $252,950 median. Essentially the same profile as Kingman, in the same Colorado River corridor, with marginally more transaction depth. Employment and tenant demand in this corridor are tied to the Laughlin area economy, which is worth understanding before you scale.

5. Arizona City, $255,000 median, 246 closings

Pinal County, $255,000 median on 246 closings, about 41 a month. Moderate liquidity. The entry price is 39% below the state median while sitting between the Phoenix and Tucson corridors, which is a meaningfully different location argument than the Mohave markets above it on this list.

6. Sun City, $257,833 median, 626 closings

The highest volume market on this list under $260,000, at 626 closings, roughly 104 a month, with a $257,833 median. That is Phoenix metro liquidity at a price 38% below the state median, which is rare. The critical caveat: much of the housing in this area sits in age-restricted communities with HOA rules that can restrict or prohibit rentals entirely. Read the CC&Rs before you write an offer, not after.

7. Mohave Valley, $265,000 median, 109 closings

$265,000 across 109 closings, about 18 a month, the thinnest volume in this set alongside Benson. Same river corridor as Bullhead City and Fort Mohave, but a fraction of the transaction depth, and priced above both Kingman and Bullhead City. On the numbers alone, the neighbors are the better trade.

8. Yuma, $280,000 median, 853 closings

The deepest market on this entire list: 853 closings, roughly 142 a month, at a $280,000 median that runs 33% below the state figure. Yuma is also the only city here that appears among Arizona's 12 highest volume markets statewide. Deep volume plus a below-median entry price is the combination most investors are actually searching for, and Yuma is the clearest example of it in Arizona. Note the agricultural and seasonal character of the local economy when you assess tenant demand.

9. Rio Rico, $280,000 median, 123 closings

Same $280,000 median as Yuma, on 123 closings, about 21 a month. That is roughly one seventh of Yuma's volume at an identical price. When two markets price the same, transaction depth is the tiebreaker, and this one loses it decisively. Border-adjacent Santa Cruz County, with a local economy tied heavily to cross-border trade.

10. Coolidge, $284,990 median, 123 closings

Pinal County, $284,990 on 123 closings, about 21 a month. Positioned between Phoenix and Tucson with a lot of newer construction in the area, which usually means less condition risk but also less room to add value through renovation. Moderate liquidity.

11. Sierra Vista, $293,000 median, 396 closings

$293,000 median on 396 closings, about 66 a month, good depth for a city this size. Sierra Vista's tenant and buyer demand is closely tied to Fort Huachuca, which is both a stabilizer and a concentration risk. Verify what that base means for tenant turnover before you build a position.

12. Green Valley, $295,000 median, 499 closings

499 closings, about 83 a month, at $295,000, strong volume south of Tucson. Like Sun City, a large share of this area is retirement housing where HOA age restrictions and rental caps are common. That does not make it uninvestable, but it makes the governing documents a mandatory read on every single property.

13. Fort Mohave, $297,061 median, 245 closings

$297,061 on 245 closings, about 41 a month. Priced roughly $44,000 above Bullhead City in the same corridor with less than half the volume, which is a premium you should be able to justify at the property level before paying it.

14. Casa Grande, $314,500 median, 428 closings

428 closings, roughly 71 a month, at $314,500, which is 25% below the state median. Casa Grande is the best combination of Phoenix corridor proximity, real transaction depth, and a below-median entry price on this list. That is a defensible profile for a buyer who wants metro economics without metro pricing.

15. Florence, $324,995 median, 368 closings

The highest entry price in this affordable tier at $324,995, with 368 closings, about 61 a month. Still 22% below the state median, with solid volume, in the same Pinal County growth corridor as Casa Grande and Coolidge.

What to do with this list

Entry price and closing volume tell you which markets to study. They do not tell you whether a specific house is worth buying.

Run a valuation where you can see the comparable sales and adjust them yourself. If the model pulled a comp from the wrong subdivision or across a major road, remove it and watch the estimate change. Condition is estimated from listing photos, which matters in a state where a 1978 river-corridor manufactured home and a 2022 Pinal County build can appear in the same price band. Our estimates are frozen at listing and then graded against the real closing price, with results published on our accuracy dashboard.

Then do the deal math with your own inputs. The ARV calculator handles renovation exits, and the market pages give you local data instead of a state median. Everything is on the free tools page, no signup required, and live valuations cover 31 states including Arizona.