Yes, I must second this.  Scottsdale is not at all expensive compared to many, many U.S. locales.  Please understand, resort places are never as wealthy as the places from which their residents came.  The average income in Scottsdale is $50k, average house is $400k?  That won't get you into a good suburb in most major urban areas. Scottsdale really resembles a little Las Vegas, sans casinos, i.e. showy surface fanciness.  This is a familiarly cheesy booster-type Wiki article.