San Luis vs Yuma

Which is the better fit for you?

San Luis, AZ
46
Area Score
Bottom 10% nationally
Yuma, AZ
46
Area Score
Bottom 11% nationally

Want a third or fourth place beside these? Open them in the shortlist and add more.

San Luis and Yuma receive effectively the same standardized Area Score. Which fits you better depends on which dimensions you weight — the differences below are where they actually diverge.

If you are moving

What the difference in prices, rent, homes and weather comes to, using the published figures for the two places. Add your income to see what it would take to keep pace.

Moving from San Luis to Yuma

It stays in this browser and is never sent anywhere.

Everyday prices
About the same
Regional price level 88.1 against 88.1 (US = 100). Both places sit in the same price region, so the index cannot tell them apart.
Income to keep the same purchasing power
Enter your household income to see it.
A new two-bedroom lease
The same
HUD benchmarks it at $1,382 in Yuma against $1,382 in San Luis.
The median home
2% more
$230,000 in Yuma against $224,900 in San Luis.
The weather you would swap
Similar winters
Normal January lows are 48°F in Yuma against 48°F in San Luis; July highs are 107°F against 107°F (summers the same).

These are differences between published figures, not a forecast of your budget. Income and sales taxes, commuting, schools, insurance and the job you would actually get are not in them, and a price index describes a metropolitan area, so two places in one metro read the same. HUD’s rent is a benchmark for a new lease, not a listing.

Signals

San Luis
Yuma
Opportunity: Yuma is the more favorable of the two.
Opportunity
25 · Bottom 3%
vs
29 · Bottom 5%
Growth: San Luis is the more favorable of the two.
Growth
80 · Top 4%
vs
75 · Top 9%
Climate
59 · Bottom 12%
vs
59 · Bottom 12%
Physical resilience
20 · Bottom 13%
vs
20 · Bottom 13%
Housing affordability: San Luis is the more favorable of the two.
Housing affordability
90 · Top 2%
vs
71 · Top 38%
Schools: Yuma is the more favorable of the two.
Schools
8 · Bottom 2%
vs
29 · Bottom 24%
Access: Yuma is the more favorable of the two.
Access
88 · Bottom 35%
vs
90 · Bottom 40%
Economic stability: Yuma is the more favorable of the two.
Economic stability
33 · Bottom 12%
vs
46 · Bottom 29%

Measured values

MetricSan LuisYumaSource period
Population37,337100,1392024 ACS 5-Year
Median household income — the two are too close to separate$59,400 ±$10,241$65,482 ±$3,3942024 ACS 5-Year
Per capita income$19,712$33,951 — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Population density1,104/sq mi827/sq mi2024 ACS 5-Year
Median home value$224,900$230,0002024 ACS 5-Year
Median gross rent$741 — more favorable$1,1142024 ACS 5-Year
Market rent, two bedroom$1,382$1,382FY2026
Cost of living index88.188.12023
Homeownership rate68.4%66.8%2024 ACS 5-Year
Unemployment rate32.1%13.1% — more favorableJuly 2026
Employment change (year over year)−3.0%−3.0%July 2026
Bachelor's degree or higher9.3%20.9% — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Poverty rate — the two are too close to separate18.5% ±5%15.1% ±2%2024 ACS 5-Year
Housing units permitted (12 months)30876812 months ending July 2026
Permits per 1,000 residents8.2 — more favorable7.712 months ending July 2026
Permit change (year over year)+27.3% — more favorable0.0%12 months ending July 2026
Average July high107°F107°F1991-2020 Normals
Average January low48°F48°F1991-2020 Normals
Annual precipitation3.3"3.3"1991-2020 Normals
Distance to major airport14 mi11 mi — more favorableNASR current cycle
Average commute29.2 min19.7 min — more favorable2024 ACS 5-Year
Median age33.033.12024 ACS 5-Year
Public schools23502024-25 school year
Students per teacher23.321.0 — more favorable2024-25 school year
Math proficiency31.8%37.7% — more favorable2018-19 school year
Reading proficiency28.6%38.6% — more favorable2018-19 school year

A bolded value is the more favorable of the two where the metric has a clear direction. Metrics like population and density have no inherent better or worse and are shown unweighted.

2 rows above show both figures with a ± margin and neither in bold. Those come from the American Community Survey, which samples rather than counts, and the gap between the two is smaller than the uncertainty on the figures themselves — so the survey did not find a difference to report, and calling either one the winner would be reading a result out of noise.

The number of units permitted is not marked because the larger place always permits more; the per-resident rate is the fair comparison.

Physical risk tradeoff

San Luis

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, heat wave.

Yuma

Elevated or high exposure: earthquake, heat wave.

Your best match

Weight what matters to you. Your preferences stay in this browser and never change either Area Score.

San Luis
—
San Luis: Your Score
46
Area Score
Yuma
—
Yuma: Your Score
46
Area Score

Select your priorities to see which of the two fits them better.

Full profiles: San Luis, AZ · Yuma, AZ · How this is calculated: methodology