Home prices in Mesa run 7% below the national median: $390,000 versus $420,000. Relative to the $65,000 median household income here, the price-to-income ratio comes out to 6.0x.
Mesa's 0.68% property tax rate runs below the 1.1% national average. That's $221/month on the median home here, not a rounding error against the mortgage payment.
Between the $2,406/month mortgage payment and Arizona's state income tax, your real housing cost calculation needs your after-tax number, not your gross salary.
Beyond housing, Mesa's cost of living index sits at 102 (national average = 100), running above the national baseline for groceries, transportation, and everyday services.
Mesa's median home price runs 7% lower than nearby Phoenix: $420,000 there versus $390,000 here.