Living in Tempe.

I mean, it's summer in Arizona, so let's start with the numbers. NOAA's weather station at ASU in Tempe averages about 107 days a year at 100 degrees or more. At Sky Harbor, the first 110-degree day comes around June 11 and the last around August 26, with about 21 of them a year. Monsoon season officially runs June 15 to September 30.

Is Tempe hotter than the rest of the East Valley? That station is. Chandler Heights averages about 95 of those days and Scottsdale Airport about 93. But honestly, 110 is 110 anywhere in the Valley, and the way I look at it, the house you pick decides more of your summer than which city it's in.

• Electric. The city's own new-resident directory lists both SRP and APS, so the provider comes with the address. Their expensive hours aren't the same: SRP's Conserve plan peaks 6 to 9 p.m. on weekdays, and APS's Time-of-Use plan peaks 4 to 7 p.m. on weekdays. Either way, I'd ask the seller for 12 months of the house's bills.
• Water and trash. The City of Tempe handles water, sewer and trash. Water on the usual 5/8-inch meter is $13.43 a month, then $3.51 per 1,000 gallons up to 8,000 gallons and $5.74 per 1,000 up to 16,000. So 10,000 gallons in a month comes to $52.99 for water, before sewer, trash and taxes. Trash with recycling is $34.51 a month with the 96-gallon cart.
• Sewer in your first year. The city bills single-family sewer off your January to March water use. Until you've had a winter of your own, it bills a new account as if your winter average were 10,000 gallons a month.
• Flood irrigation. Some lots take flood irrigation, and the city bills it twice a year by parcel size: $311.34 per half-year for a lot up to 13,068 square feet at the July 2026 rate, with a 25% increase on the city's schedule each July through 2029. If the listing mentions irrigation, I'd ask for the last two bills.
• Water supply. The City of Tempe is on the state's list of designated 100-year water providers, as of September 9, 2026.

The rest of year one, which way the yard faces, the MVD trip and the first tax bill, is in Your first year.

Weather from NOAA's 1991 to 2020 station normals and the National Weather Service. Electric plans from SRP and APS. Water, sewer, trash and irrigation rates from the City of Tempe's utility rate page, read October 22, 2026. All as of October 2026.

Does the house have an HOA? Then Arizona law says what the association has to hand you before you close. I'd read it the week it shows up, because a payment quote doesn't always include the HOA.

• Ten days. In a planned community of 50 or more homes, once the seller tells the HOA about your accepted offer, the association has ten days to deliver the disclosure to you or your agent (A.R.S. 33-1806).
• What's in it. The bylaws and rules, the declaration, minutes from the last three open board meetings, a dated statement of the regular assessment and how often it's billed, any special assessment, the operating budget, the latest reserve study if there is one, and any pending lawsuits.
• Who pays for it. The association can charge up to $400 for the disclosure and related transfer services, plus up to $100 for a rush within 72 hours. That's charged to the seller, and it's collected no earlier than closing.
• How fast dues can rise. Unless the HOA's documents set a lower limit, it can't raise the regular assessment more than 20% over the prior year without a majority of the members approving it (A.R.S. 33-1803). Late charges are capped at $15 or 10% of the unpaid amount, whichever is greater.
• Condos. Those rules are for planned communities. A condo association falls under a different chapter of the same title, chapter 9.

So here's the part you can count. Take the assessment from that dated statement, turn it into a monthly number, and add it to your payment quote. That's the payment to plan on.

Okay, so taxes. I'd slow down here, honestly, because this is where two houses in the same city can come out different.

• Sales tax. Tempe's combined rate at the register is 8.1%: 6.3% state and Maricopa County, plus Tempe's 1.8%. That's lower than Gilbert and Mesa at 8.3% and Queen Creek at 8.55%, and higher than Chandler at 7.8%.
• Property tax depends on the tax area. Maricopa County's 2026 rate table lists six tax areas inside Tempe's city limits. Add each area's residential primary rate to its secondary rate, and you get anywhere from about $7.50 to about $11.58 per $100 of assessed value.
• What that spread costs. For a primary residence, assessed value is 10% of the Limited Property Value, the county's taxable value, which isn't the sale price. So on a house with a $400,000 LPV, that's $40,000 assessed, and a year's tax runs from about $3,000 in the lowest tax area to about $4,630 in the highest, before any special district. Same city, about $1,630 a year apart.
• Where to look. The parcel's tax bill shows its area code, the county's code for the jurisdictions that get the tax, and the rate for each one per $100 of assessed value. I'd pull the actual bill for any house you're serious about, not the estimate. Under the standard rule, the LPV can rise up to 5% a year.

Sales tax from the Arizona Department of Revenue rate table effective October 1, 2026. Property tax rates from Maricopa County's 2026 Tax Rates table and A.R.S. 42-15003. HOA rules from A.R.S. 33-1803 and 33-1806. All as of October 2026.

Every city here gives you something and costs you something. This is Tempe's side of it, the way I'd lay it out for you. If you're still choosing a side of the Valley, Why the East Valley lines the five cities up next to each other.

• Airports. Tempe's the closest of the five to Sky Harbor, at 7.2 miles, and the farthest from Mesa Gateway, at 24.1. Flying Allegiant or Sun Country a lot? That second number matters.
• Size. It's the smallest city of the five, so there's less ground between the lake, downtown and the light rail. It also means fewer square miles to find a house in.
• Transit. Light rail, a streetcar and free Orbit buses are real options here. On ASU's own posted times, though, the car still wins: 21 minutes against 49 by light rail and bus from its downtown Phoenix campus.
• Summer. The ASU station runs about 107 days a year at 100 degrees or more, about 12 more than Chandler Heights. I'd take that as a reason to look harder at the house, not a reason to skip the city.
• Sales tax. At 8.1%, Tempe beats Gilbert, Mesa and Queen Creek and loses to Chandler's 7.8%.
• Property tax. One city, six tax areas, and about $1,630 a year between the lowest and the highest on a $400,000 LPV. Two houses that look the same on paper can cost different amounts to own.
• Electric. SRP or APS, depending on the address, and their weekday peaks differ: 6 to 9 p.m. or 4 to 7 p.m.

Miles from OpenStreetMap routing, sampled October 22, 2026. Land area from the Census Bureau's 2024 Gazetteer. Travel times as posted by ASU. All as of October 2026.