Tempe vs Mesa.
Same light rail line,
different scale.
Tempe and Mesa share a border, a light rail line and two school districts. Tempe is the smaller city, built out, with a lower city sales tax and Sky Harbor close by. Mesa has more than twice the people on more than three times the land, runs its own electric and gas utility downtown, and is still building new houses in the southeast. Here is each one from the public record.
The two cities in numbers.
Every figure below comes from a government source or The Cromford Report, named at the bottom of the page. Property tax rates differ by tax area, so the table compares the two school-district tax areas both cities share; the full lists are on the Tempe and Mesa pages.
| Tempe | Mesa | |
|---|---|---|
| Population, July 2025 estimate | 190,571 | 513,656 |
| Population, 2020 Census | 180,587 | 504,258 |
| Land area | 39.94 sq mi | 138.70 sq mi |
| City sales tax, retail | 1.8% | 2.0% |
| Combined retail rate with state and county | 8.1% | 8.3% |
| Tempe Elementary / Tempe Union tax area, 2026 | 031600 | 031000 |
| Primary rate / approx. residential primary | 6.3400 / 4.8272 | 5.4549 / 3.9421 |
| Secondary rate | 5.7475 | 4.9200 |
| Mesa Unified tax area, 2026 | 041600 | 041000 |
| Primary rate / approx. residential primary | 6.3830 / 4.8702 | 5.4979 / 3.9851 |
| Secondary rate | 4.8834 | 4.0559 |
| Electric | SRP or APS, by address | City of Mesa downtown; elsewhere by address |
| Water | City of Tempe, about 90% SRP in a typical year | City of Mesa: 53% Central Arizona Project, 40% Salt and Verde, 7% groundwater |
| Light rail | 9 stations, plus the Tempe Streetcar | 7 stations, on Main Street |
| City Hall to Sky Harbor, straight line | 3.9 mi | 10.2 mi |
| Single-family homes | 30,057 | 119,685 |
| Condos and townhouses | 12,383 | 25,961 |
| Median single-family sale, last 12 months | $540,000 | $490,000 |
Tax rates are per $100 of assessed value. Housing counts are parcels with a recorded build year. Median prices are from The Cromford Report, data through 14 October 2026.
Sales tax and property tax.
Tempe's sales tax is lower. Tempe charges 1.8% on retail, 8.1% with the 5.6% state rate and Maricopa County's 0.7%. Mesa charges 2.0%, 8.3% combined.
Property tax runs the other way. It follows the tax area, and the school district is part of it. Maricopa County lists six tax areas in Tempe for 2026, with approximate residential primary rates from 4.1896 to 4.8735 per $100 of assessed value. Two districts cross the city line, and in both the Tempe side carries the higher rate. In the Tempe Elementary and Tempe Union tax area, the approximate residential primary rate is 4.8272 in Tempe and 3.9421 in Mesa. In the Mesa Unified tax area, it is 4.8702 in Tempe and 3.9851 in Mesa. Read the rate for the address, not the city.
Power, gas and water.
Tempe's city services
The City of Tempe provides water, sewer and solid waste service. Electric comes from the utility that serves the address. Both SRP and APS operate in the Valley, so check the address with the utility before you budget.
Mesa's own utility
The City of Mesa provides electric service to more than 18,000 customers in a territory of about 5.5 square miles that includes downtown, and natural gas to more than 82,000 homes and businesses. Outside that territory, the address decides the electric provider.
Water
In a typical year, the Salt River Project provides about 90% of Tempe's water supply, and the city says its water security is minimally affected by the continued Colorado River shortage. Mesa's water is 53% Colorado River water through the Central Arizona Project, 40% Salt and Verde river water and 7% groundwater, with more than 540,000 acre-feet stored underground.
School districts by address.
Mesa Unified has tax areas inside Tempe, and Tempe Elementary with Tempe Union has tax areas inside Mesa, so a Tempe address and a Mesa address can share a district. The address decides the district.
- Tempe:Tempe Elementary, Kyrene Elementary and Balsz Elementary, with Tempe Union and Phoenix Union high school districts, plus Mesa Unified, Scottsdale Unified and Chandler Unified.
- Mesa:Mesa Unified, Gilbert Unified, Higley Unified and Queen Creek Unified, plus Tempe Elementary with Tempe Union.
Rail, streetcar and airports.
One Valley Metro light rail line runs through both cities. Tempe has nine stations, from Priest Drive and Washington Street through downtown and along Apache Boulevard to the Mesa line. Mesa has seven, all on Main Street from Sycamore east to Gilbert Road. The Tempe Streetcar also runs downtown. The City of Mesa lists Loop 101, Loop 202, US 60 and State Route 87 serving the city.
In a straight line, Tempe City Hall is 3.9 miles from Phoenix Sky Harbor and 0.7 miles from ASU's Tempe campus. Mesa City Hall is 10.2 miles from Sky Harbor and 5.6 from the ASU campus. Mesa has two airports inside the city: Falcon Field, about 6.7 miles from City Hall, and Phoenix-Mesa Gateway, about 12.6. Gateway is about 18.3 miles from Tempe City Hall. Check the Arizona Department of Real Estate's airport maps for any address near an airport.
Parks, the lake and open desert.
Downtown Tempe
Tempe Town Lake, Hayden Butte and Mill Avenue anchor downtown Tempe, and the Los Angeles Angels hold spring training at Tempe Diablo. My downtown Tempe guide covers the lake, the butte, the historic buildings and the housing stock.
Mesa's park system
209 park properties on 2,343 developed acres, eight aquatic centers and four community fishing lakes. Riverview Park covers 155.3 acres at 2100 W. Rio Salado Pkwy., with the Cubs' spring training home, Sloan Park, inside it.
Usery Mountain
Maricopa County's Usery Mountain Regional Park sits on Mesa's northeast edge, next to the Tonto National Forest. My Usery guide ranks every named trail.
A built-out city against a growing one.
Tempe has 30,057 single-family homes and 12,383 condos, townhouses and attached homes. Most of its houses went up before 2000: the middle of the stock in 85281 was built from 1949 to 1971, in 85282 from 1962 to 1978, and in 85284 from 1981 to 1999. The Assessor shows 25 single-family homes and 23 attached homes with a 2024 to 2026 build year, so new housing in Tempe is mostly apartments and mixed use. The City of Tempe's development map lists 108 projects, the largest unfinished one Tempe Gateway at 910 units or keys.
Mesa has 119,685 single-family homes and 25,961 condos and townhouses. Its west side holds the oldest stock: in 85201 and 85204, most houses were built from the 1950s through the 1980s. Its southeast corner, 85212 around Eastmark, is mostly built since 2000 and is where Mesa is still building, with 2,029 of its 2,515 houses from 2024 to 2026. Median living area runs from 1,437 to 2,475 square feet across Tempe's ZIPs and from 1,515 to 2,260 across Mesa's larger ones.
Prices right now.
As of October 2026, The Cromford Report puts the single-family median sale price over the last 12 months at $540,000 in Tempe, down 1.8% on the year, and $490,000 in Mesa, down 0.4%. Its Market Index reads 65.2 in Tempe, a buyer's market, with 4.9 months of supply. Mesa reads 96.2, balanced, with 3.4 months. Both indexes fell about 17 points from the month before. A citywide median mixes very different houses in either city, so the comparable sales for the house you want are what count.
What each city offers.
- Tempeoffers a compact, built-out city with almost no new single-family building: established houses from the 1950s through the 1990s, a large share of condos and townhouses, and new housing that comes as apartments and mixed use. Nine light rail stations, the streetcar and Sky Harbor about 3.9 miles from City Hall. The sales tax is lower, the property tax rate is higher, and the median is higher.
- Mesaoffers the wider range of age and price: older houses on the west side, a deep supply of condos and townhouses, light rail on Main Street, its own utility downtown, and new master-planned building in the southeast. The median is lower, and age and condition vary more from street to street.
- At the borderthey overlap. The light rail line runs from one into the other, and Mesa Unified and Tempe Elementary with Tempe Union have tax areas in both cities, at different rates. I check the city, tax area, utility and HOA for every address before you write an offer.
Common questions
Is Mesa bigger than Tempe?
Yes. The Census Bureau estimates 513,656 people in Mesa and 190,571 in Tempe as of July 2025. Mesa covers 138.70 square miles of land, Tempe 39.94.
Is sales tax lower in Tempe or Mesa?
Tempe. Its city retail rate is 1.8%, 8.1% combined with the state and Maricopa County rates. Mesa's is 2.0%, 8.3% combined.
Is it cheaper to live in Tempe or Mesa?
On home prices, Mesa is lower. As of October 2026, The Cromford Report puts the single-family median over the last 12 months at $540,000 in Tempe and $490,000 in Mesa.
Are property taxes higher in Tempe or Mesa?
It depends on the tax area, which the address sets. In the two school-district tax areas both cities share, Tempe's rate is higher. Maricopa County's 2026 approximate residential primary rate is 4.8272 in Tempe and 3.9421 in Mesa for Tempe Elementary and Tempe Union, and 4.8702 in Tempe and 3.9851 in Mesa for Mesa Unified, per $100 of assessed value.
Does light rail connect Tempe and Mesa?
Yes. Nine Valley Metro light rail stations are in Tempe, running along Apache Boulevard to the Mesa line, and Mesa has seven on Main Street from Sycamore east to Gilbert Road.
Can a Tempe address be in Mesa schools?
Yes. Mesa Unified has tax areas inside Tempe, and Tempe Elementary with Tempe Union has tax areas inside Mesa. The address decides the district.
Weighing Tempe or Mesa?
Send me the addresses you are weighing. I will pull the tax area, school district, utility, HOA and comparable sales for each. Call or text 480-485-4261. If you already have an agent under contract, ask them first.
Own a home in either city? See what the county has on file and get a real value. Looking? Search homes for sale.
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. Sources: population and land area, U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts for Tempe city and Mesa city (Vintage 2025 estimates and the 2020 Census); sales tax, Arizona Department of Revenue State, County and City Transaction Privilege Tax Rate Table (combined rates add the state, county and city retail rates); property tax and school district tax areas, Maricopa County 2026 Tax Rates by tax area code; city services, City of Tempe Start, transfer or stop service; electric and gas, City of Mesa Energy Resources; water, City of Tempe Water Resources Section and City of Mesa Mesa's Water Supply; freeways, City of Mesa Office of Economic Development, Living Here; light rail, City of Phoenix Light Rail Stop map layer; airports, Arizona Department of Real Estate Airport Boundary Maps; parks, City of Mesa Parks, Recreation and Community Facilities, Who We Are and Riverview Park, and Maricopa County Parks Usery Mountain Regional Park; Tempe development, City of Tempe Tempe Developments map layer; housing counts and build years, Maricopa County Assessor parcel records, counted 25 October 2026; distances, straight-line miles between published coordinates; market figures, The Cromford Report, data through 14 October 2026, credited to The Cromford Report. School districts are named, not rated. All checked 29 October 2026.