2025 Compare Cities Cost of Living:
Tucson, AZ vs Carlsbad, NM

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Highlights
Is it cheaper to live in Carlsbad or is it cheaper to live in Tucson?
- Carlsbad is 19.7% less expensive than Tucson.

Which city has more affordable housing, Carlsbad or Tucson?
- Carlsbad housing costs are 45.6% less expensive than Tucson housing costs.

Is Health Care more affordable in Tucson or is Health Care more affordable in Carlsbad.
- Health related expenses are 0.8% more in Carlsbad.
 Tucson, AZCarlsbad, NMUnited States
 Overall  Unlock77.9100
 Food & Groceries95.5  Unlock100
 Health  Unlock86.1100
 Housing93.2  Unlock100
 Median Home Cost  Unlock$183,800$338,100
 Utilities99  Unlock100
 Transportation  Unlock69.9100
 Miscellaneous98.6  Unlock100
100 = National Average (Below 100 means cheaper than the US average. Above 100 means more expensive.)
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Reviews for Tucson    287 Reviews

My wife and I characterize ourselves as a young couple, well educated, with decent positions and we’re Tucson natives. We’ve observed our quality of life from both a  More

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Over 1 years ago

I was reading the reviews for Tucson, and after living there for 6 years, I feel the need to weigh in. There are many pros in Tucson: access to recreational areas,  More

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I spend considerable time in and around Tucson, and I've see it rapidly going "downhill" since 2020. It's definitely not the nice town I remember from when I was a  More

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Reviews for Carlsbad    16 Reviews

I've only been here for a few months, but I can quickly sum up this town as a rundown truck stop, perpetually buffeted by relentless wind, dirt, and hot air. The gas  More

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Over 3 years ago

We used to visit here every few years from Michigan just to see the Living Desert State Park. A very long way to drive to spend a a couple of days in this hauntingly  More

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Been here 9 years. Very difficult place. Price gouging, extremely expensive to live here. Crazy amounts of crime, cops do nothing. Very crowded, bad traffic and crazy  More

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