Your Essential Local Experts Phoenix Relocation Guide: Housing, Utilities, and Local Tips

Hi! I’m Andrew, and I’m your local Phoenix expert for ApartmentHomeliving.com. If you’re looking to move to the Phoenix area, I’m excited for you. Before you hop in the moving van, I have a few tips that might help you along the process.

So, take a few minutes with me to learn about Phoenix housing and some tips that will help you with the process of moving.

Housing Options

Phoenix is one of the 10 largest metro areas in the entire country (it depends on who does the counting). There are a lot of housing options here, and it’s too much to cover it all in one section of a moving guide.

Instead, I’m going to give you a speed run of the Phoenix area, and I’ll link to some housing resources for each area. I’m just sticking to the constituent cities of Maricopa County. A little farther outside Phoenix, you can find additional options. Within the major city, you can find countless unique neighborhoods. If you haven’t found your new home yet, I highly recommend taking some time to really explore your options.

With that said, let’s dive into the major cities of Phoenix, keeping in mind that this list leaves out some of the smaller municipalities in the area.

Phoenix

The metro area is named after Phoenix. As such, it’s the most populated and densest area in the metro. You’ll see more skyrises here, and it’s the one area that feels remotely walkable. That said, it’s still a driving town.

Phoenix itself is one of the more affordable areas in the region, but housing prices have grown in recent years and are still trending upward.

Mesa

Mesa is on the east side of Phoenix. It sits in the middle of the pack for affordability. Much of the city is suburban, feeling reasonably spacious. As one of the larger cities in the metro, you’ll find a wide variety of neighborhoods in Mesa.

Chandler

Chandler makes up the southern edge of the metro. Housing prices sit at the upper end of affordable or the affordable end of upper-class, depending on how you look at it. Strong tech employment raises the average income in this area, and the neighborhoods largely reflect that.

Gilbert

Of the Phoenix-area cities, Gilbert housing prices rank third-highest. Gilbert and Chandler border each other, with many of the same jobs providers boosting income and the relative affordability of neighborhoods across the city.

Glendale

Glendale is largely considered one of the affordable areas in Phoenix. Plenty of apartments and houses fill the city, giving you a wide range of living options. Glendale covers a lot of ground. Where it borders the City of Phoenix, you’ll find more urban density with things spreading out a little more as you move north.

Scottsdale

Scottsdale is considered the upper-class major city in Phoenix. Housing prices here are roughly double that of Gilbert, on average. Scottsdale neighborhoods have much less population density than most of the metro area, and you’ll find the schools very competitive.

Peoria

Peoria home prices come in slightly above Mesa, making it another in the middle of the pack as far as affordability goes. Peoria is on the north edge of the metro, giving it a lot more space as you get away from the center of the city. The limits of Peoria stretch all the way to Lake Pleasant. If you want to live in “Phoenix” and feel like you’re out of the city, this is one of your best options.

Tempe

Tempe is home to Arizona State. ASU has one of the largest student populations in the country, with over 50,000 registered attendees. ASU culture heavily impacts the Tempe experience. As such, prices sit a little above average, and you can expect to see many students out and about pretty much across the city.

Surprise

Surprise is right next to Peoria, up at the top of the metro. It has some of the most affordable housing, but that’s by Phoenix standards. Depending on where you live now, you might find sticker shock in either direction. For the most part, Surprise lives up to the suburban feel of western U.S. cities.

Utility Setup

You already know that you need utilities for your new residence, but a checklist can help you avoid forgetting something, and the lists below can help you find the premier providers for each utility in the region.

Electricity

Across Maricopa County, you’re going to see two major electricity providers:

• Arizona Public Service (APS)
• Salt River Project (SRP)

You can use those links to see who can service your new home and go from there.

Gas

Southwest Gas Corporation is the primary gas utility across Maricopa County, but in Mesa and the surrounding areas, you may get natural gas from The City of Mesa.

Water

Each city handles water differently, with some overlap across municipal lines. It’s a bit of a mess, but you can find a master list of water resources via the Arizona Corporation Commission. You can put in your address, and it will tell you who provides water to your location. From there, you can set up your water utilities.

Trash

In most cases, water, trash, recycling, and wastewater will all be managed under a single account. If your water is not managed by a municipal corporation that bundles the other services, then you can find trash and recycling services from the list below:

• Phoenix
• Mesa
• Chandler
• Gilbert
• Glendale
• Scottsdale
• Peoria
• Tempe
• Surprise

Internet

Internet providers in the Phoenix area match what you will find across the country. The biggest names include Cox, AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile, CenturyLink, and Starlink. Some additional providers to consider include Phoenix Internet, Triad Wireless, and Desert iNet.

Not every provider will be available in every neighborhood, so compare plans to get the best option for you.

Moving Services and Logistics

When I moved to Phoenix, I had much less stuff compared to now, so I did not use any moving services. I cannot personally recommend any service providers.

With that said, I have had friends and family use services. Combined with some good old fashioned research, I have a few companies you can try first, if you’re looking for movers:

• John Volken Academy Movers
• Just-In Time Moving & Storage
• Sterling Interstate

There are countless other moving services available in the Phoenix area and across the country, so you can dive deep if you like.

It’s also worth emphasizing that moving yourself will always cost less than hiring a moving company. That usually holds true even if you have to rent trucks and/or trailers to complete the move.

Local Registrations

Paperwork is always a good time, right? Moving does come with some registrations. You should always double-check your local city’s website to see if they have any specific registrations. Likewise, if you move into a homeowner’s association, there may be some forms that demand your attention.

For the most part, the individual cities in the Phoenix metro do not have unique registrations. Mostly, you need to take care of Arizona registrations if you move from out of state, and you need to update some forms regardless of where you lived before.

From Out of State

The first registration to tackle is vehicles. Usually in this process you will also update your driver’s license. Completing these two things will make all other updates and registrations much easier.

In Arizona, every vehicle needs an emissions test certification, which should be a part of the registration process.

You will also want to update your voter registration as you see fit.

Forms for Everyone

If you move from out of state, you will still need to go through the registrations listed here.

If you’re moving from another location in Arizona to your new home in Phoenix, you can start here. You’ll want to update your address with banks and finance managers (like investment accounts), the USPS, and any subscriptions or services that you utilize. This would include things like Amazon Prime.

You will also want to update your address with any insurance accounts, changes with medical providers, schools, the Social Security Administration, and the IRS (form 8822).

Community Resources

You will find many different communities across the Phoenix area. Check and see if your neighborhood has any specific groups or programs.

To get you started, the links below include a whole lot of additional resources that cover a lot of ground:

• Maricopa County resources
• City of Phoenix recommendations
• Exploring Phoenix

Local Regulations

Some might disagree on where exactly the Phoenix metro begins and ends, but you’re looking at nine different municipalities, or more, that comprise the major area. Listing every local regulation could fill a book, so instead, I’ll cover a few common rules that surprise newcomers.

The first is parking. The city of Phoenix bans parking on unpaved surfaces. You will find some exceptions, but in general, don’t park in the dirt.

Second is water. Currently, there are no specific residential water restrictions. Instead, the cities and counties in the area have a bunch of best practices for water conservation, and there’s plenty of peer pressure to at least try to use water responsibly.

Finally, trash and recycling rules will depend on where you live, so be sure to read the quick version when you set up your trash and recycling services.

Phoenix Weather

Phoenix weather is famous around the world. Hot weather is abundant, and temperatures and sunlight are extreme enough to merit concern. If you’re already from the area, you can skip this section, but for anyone new to the region, a few tips will help a lot.

The hot season lasts for roughly half the year. Triple digit highs usually start in May and last through September, sometimes even into October. Beating the heat is easy enough if you stick to a few simple principles.

First, plan any outdoor or vigorous activity for the early morning or evenings. Even with this plan, keep in mind that lows will still be in the 90s many evenings in the summer.

Second, utilize cooling and indoor spaces. Make sure your air conditioning is good to go in anticipation of the hot months, and if you’re moving during the summer, verify that you have cooling before moving day.

Also, budget for higher electric bills in the summer. Your air conditioner will run heavily, and it draws a lot of power. Rates vary, but you can expect your summer electric bill to be triple your winter bill, if not more.

Misters and fans can help immensely in outdoor spaces, and you’ll find them throughout the city when you go to eat, shop, or have fun.

Third, if you must be outside during peak sunlight, protect yourself. Use sunscreen and reapply it. Sunglasses, hats, and light clothing that blocks sunlight will all go a long way. Most of all, drink a lot of water and keep extra water handy.

One more aspect of weather is worthy of your attention: monsoons. Monsoon season runs from the end of June through September. Each year is different, but when storms hit, you can expect intensity. Most homes and apartments will be fine. Make sure the windows are closed and everything important is inside or under cover.

As for driving, understand that drivers will react to the storms, and bad traffic will be even worse. Most storms blow through quickly, so if you can avoid driving, it helps. Even if you are on the road, as long as you stay alert, you should be ok.

People thrive in Phoenix throughout the summer. It might take a little bit of adjustment, but you can too.