Best PlacesSouth Scottsdale, Scottsdale, AZ Best Neighborhoods
2026–2027 edition · Data updated July 2026
Every neighborhood in and around South Scottsdale, Scottsdale, scored on 40 measures of daily life and ranked to fit what matters to you. This page is for people who live here or already know they want to. To work out which city fits you best, start with the best places to live tool.
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks 1,634th of 5,983 U.S. neighborhoods on the BestNeighborhood index. It scores highest on low property taxes by a wide margin, and summer heat is the weak spot.
The best neighborhoods in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale
BestNeighborhood is the only ranking that scores 40 measures of daily life neighborhood by neighborhood and lets you re-weight every one of them yourself.
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale's strengths and weaknesses
Where South Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks high
- Low property taxBetter than 99% of neighborhoods
- Disaster safetyBetter than 95% of neighborhoods
- Nice weatherabout 204 pleasant days a year, better than 88% of neighborhoods
- Healthcare accessBetter than 84% of neighborhoods
- Cell coverageBetter than 83% of neighborhoods
Where South Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks low
- Heat safetyBetter than only 1% of neighborhoods
- Air qualityBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Tree shadeBetter than only 5% of neighborhoods
- Housing crash safetyBetter than only 15% of neighborhoods
- Low vacancyBetter than only 16% of neighborhoods
What it costs to buy a home in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale
A household needs to earn about $149,000 a year to comfortably buy the median South Scottsdale, Scottsdale home, at 20% down and today's 30-year rate. That runs well above the area's median income of $102,570, so buying stretches a typical household.
Where the monthly payment goes
Assumes a 20% down payment, a 6.6% 30-year fixed rate, and a 28% share of income going to the payment. The rate is the 2026-07-23 30-year fixed average, series MORTGAGE30US from the St. Louis Fed, which publishes Freddie Mac's weekly survey. Against the median home value, property tax uses South Scottsdale, Scottsdale's effective rate of 0.33%, and insurance is estimated at 0.4% of home value a year.
Renting versus buying
At today's prices and rents, renting stays cheaper than buying across the first 10 years here, so the case for buying rests on staying much longer or on prices rising faster than assumed. The chart tracks the running cost of each.
Who lives in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale runs older than the country, and households here run smaller than average.
Residents by age
Racial and ethnic makeup has its own map. See the race and diversity map for South Scottsdale, Scottsdale.
Who works in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale, and how
Work in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale centers on professional & technical and health care & social. Unemployment is low, and jobs are growing.
Largest industries
How people get to work
- Drive or carpool 68%
- Work from home 27%
- Transit, walk, or bike 5%
Life in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale has more restaurants and bars per resident than 79% of neighborhoods and more parkland per resident than 79% of neighborhoods. Dining, parks, and nightlife concentrates in some parts of South Scottsdale, Scottsdale and thins out in others, which the map shows.
What the weather is like in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale, month by month
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale sees roughly 204 pleasant days a year. July highs average about 110 degrees. January highs sit near 69, with lows near 44. The comfortable stretch runs November through March.
Show the monthly temperatures
| Month | Avg high | Avg | Avg low |
|---|---|---|---|
| January | 69° | 56° | 44° |
| April | 90° | 76° | 61° |
| July | 110° | 98° | 85° |
| October | 92° | 78° | 65° |
Flying in and out of South Scottsdale, Scottsdale
Phoenix Sky Harbor International sits about 7 miles away. It is a large hub and boarded 25.2 million passengers in 2025, with 177 nonstop destinations.
The best schools in and around South Scottsdale, Scottsdale
Schools across South Scottsdale, Scottsdale average a C, better than 41% of neighborhoods.
Top elementary schools
- Pueblo Elementary SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Ward Traditional AcademyA− · 60% proficient
- Hohokam Elementary SchoolB+ · 53% proficient
Top middle schools
- Franklin Junior High SchoolA+ · 78% proficient
- Cocopah Middle SchoolA · 63% proficient
- Ingleside Middle SchoolB+ · 48% proficient
Top high schools
- Saguaro High SchoolC+ · 39% proficient
- Chaparral High SchoolC+ · 38% proficient
- Arcadia High SchoolC · 32% proficient
Grades come from K-12 test scores, with scores projected for schools missing data. See every South Scottsdale, Scottsdale school and its grade on SchoolGrade.
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale measure by measure
Cards are ordered by how much each measure matters to you, so the ones you weighted highest come first. Expand to see every measure. Percentages compare South Scottsdale, Scottsdale against the other 5,982 neighborhoods.
Who South Scottsdale, Scottsdale suits
Remote workers
Cost of living against local pay beats 74% of neighborhoods and 27% already work from home.
Retirees
The weather beats 88% of neighborhoods, health care access beats 84%, and it is quieter than 79%.
Common questions about living in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale
Is South Scottsdale, Scottsdale a good place to live?
Using BestNeighborhood's default rankings, South Scottsdale, Scottsdale ranks 1,634th of 5,983 neighborhoods. It scores highest on low property taxes, low disaster risk, and the weather, and lowest on summer heat and air quality. How good it is for you depends on which of those you weight most, which the map lets you set.
Is South Scottsdale, Scottsdale expensive to live in?
The median home is worth $610,828. The overall cost of living runs about 10% above the national average. Set against a $102,570 median income, cost of living beats 74% of neighborhoods.
Is South Scottsdale, Scottsdale safe?
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale is safer than 44% of neighborhoods. Safety varies a lot by neighborhood. Crime costs an estimated $542 per resident a year.
What is the weather like in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale?
July highs average about 110 degrees, and January highs near 69 with lows near 44. That works out to about 204 pleasant days a year, more than 88% of neighborhoods.
Is South Scottsdale, Scottsdale good for families?
Schools beat 41% of neighborhoods, crime safety beats 44%, and childcare runs $1,109 a month.
Compare South Scottsdale, Scottsdale with other neighborhoods
Sources and methodology
Every measure on this page is scored for each neighborhood, then rolled up to South Scottsdale, Scottsdale. Scores are absolute rather than ranked, which means a 60 in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale represents the same real quantity as a 60 anywhere else, and the ranking is a weighted average of those absolutes. The map colors come from a national scale calibrated against a population weighted random sample of 5,000 neighborhoods. That absolute scoring is what no other places-to-live ranking does: it puts a single neighborhood, a town, a metro, and a state on one scale, so the same 40 measures answer both which metro to move to and which street inside it to buy on. Read the full methodology.
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale detail on BestNeighborhood maps:
- Walk Grade for South Scottsdale, Scottsdale: walkability, transit, and biking, measured on the real street network rather than by straight line distance.
- Noise in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale: road, rail, and aviation sound modeling calibrated against federal ground truth measurements.
- Conservative vs liberal map of South Scottsdale, Scottsdale: precinct level election results apportioned to neighborhoods.
- Mobile and cell coverage in South Scottsdale, Scottsdale: carrier by carrier coverage behind the cell score.
South Scottsdale, Scottsdale detail on related sites:
- CrimeGrade: neighborhood crime rates behind the crime safety score.
- ISPreports.org: provider by provider internet availability and advertised speeds.
- CoverageWatch: the car insurance premiums behind the cheap car insurance score.
Federal and public data:
- U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey: income, home value, rent, vacancy, commute time and mode, educational attainment, home age, age structure, household type, industry, and race.
- NOAA Global Surface Summary of the Day: the daily station record behind the monthly temperatures and the pleasant-day count.
- FAA Passenger Boarding Data: airport size and annual passenger counts.
- Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey: the 30-year fixed rate used in the cost-to-buy estimate.
- FBI Crime Data Explorer: reported offenses behind the tangible crime cost estimate.
- U.S. EPA Air Quality System: five year average air quality index.
- FEMA National Risk Index: expected annual loss from natural hazards.
- CDC PLACES: disease burden, preventable risk, and barriers to care.
- National Center for Education Statistics: school enrollment and assessment inputs behind the school grade.
- FCC National Broadband Map: internet and wireless availability.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics: employment and job growth behind the local economy score.
- Religious activity uses a proprietary religious signal measurement.
Your priorities
Move a slider to say how much a measure matters. Zero turns it off.