Mesa, AZ · Updated Oct 2026

What a Mesa home costs each year

Property tax, water, trash and energy from public rates. Look up your address to make it yours, and see how to pay less.

Suggestions as you type come from Google; the lookup uses free public map services to find who serves it. Not stored unless you save your house.

Example · a Mesa house

$5,899a year · $492 a month

Starts at $194,975 of value before exemptions. Typical use.

Property tax$1,568
0.804% of $194,975
Electricity$1,945
1117 kWh a month $1,945
Water and sewer$936
6,000 gallons a month on City of Mesa Water: water $44, sewer $34 a month
Trash$432
90-gallon (standard), $36 a month
Home insurance$1,018
Typical premium $1,018

A typical Mesa house costs about $5,900 a year: $1,570 property tax and charges, $940 water and sewer, $430 trash, $1,950 electricity, $1,020 home insurance. Estimated from public rates, not anyone's actual bill.

Rates checked Oct 22, 2026. Insurance: what you enter, or a typical premium until you do. Sources are listed at the bottom.

Ways to pay less

Nothing here applies to every house automatically. These are worth checking:

Switch to the 35-gallon cartUp to $67 a year
Your cart costs $36 a month; the smallest costs $30. Worth it if you rarely fill it.
How: Call your garbage hauler.
Seniors 60+ with limited income: Mesa water discount30% off the water service charge
A 30% discount on the water Service Rate for senior citizens 60 and older at or below 200% of the federal poverty level; on a 3/4" service it lowers the monthly charge from $32.97 to $22.52.
How: Apply through Mesa's Limited Income Senior Rate Program (water).
Seniors 65+: Senior Valuation Protection (senior freeze)
If the owner meets all requirements (lived in the primary residence two years or more, an owner 65 or older, income from all owners not above $47,712 for one owner or $59,640 for two or more) and the County Assessor approves, the valuation of the primary residence stays fixed for three years. It does not freeze property taxes.
How: Apply to the Maricopa County Assessor by September 1 (online, by email to PE.SVP@maricopa.gov, or by mail).
Widowed, totally disabled or disabled veterans: personal exemptionUp to $4,873 off assessed value
A tax exemption of up to $4,873 reduces the assessed Limited Property Value. Income limits for 2026 are $39,865, or $47,826 with children under 18 or disabled children at home, excluding Social Security, military pensions and veterans' disability payments; the total assessed LPV limit is $36,454 (it does not apply to veterans). Veterans with a 100% service-connected disability can have their primary residence fully exempted.
How: File the Personal Exemption application with the Maricopa County Assessor by February 28, or by September 1 with an Exemption Deadline Waiver.
Sewer charge follows winter water useWinter water use sets the sewer charge
Mesa's sewer usage charge is based on average winter water consumption from the December, January, February and March billing cycles.
How: A Wastewater Fee Adjustment Form is listed on the Utilities page.

Money dates

Nov 2, 2026in 9 daysUnpaid first-half 2026 property taxes become delinquent after 5 pm, and interest of 16% a year applies from then.
Dec 8, 2026in 45 daysMesa City Council's final vote on the proposed utility rate changes is scheduled. If approved, new rates would take effect Feb 1, 2027.
Dec 31, 2026in 68 daysLast day to pay the full 2026 tax year without interest (for taxes over $100).
Feb 28Personal exemption application (form lists widowed and totally disabled): application deadline is February 28, or September 1 with an Exemption Deadline Waiver.

Who serves this house

Water: City of Mesa Water; City of Mesa residential water rate effective 01/01/26, monthly billing cycle: a service charge that includes 3,000 gallons, then a charge per 1,000 gallons
Property tax: 0.80% of value; 2026 tax year, Maricopa County (tax area 041000)
Garbage: City of Mesa Solid Waste; Once-a-week trash and recycling barrel collection
Sewer: City of Mesa; Service charge plus a charge on average winter water use
Electricity: City of Mesa Electric; Mesa Electric serves over 18,000 residential and commercial customers in about 5.5 square miles centered around downtown Mesa
Gas: City of Mesa Gas; Mesa Gas serves over 82,000 homes and businesses in 95 square miles of Mesa
Schools: Mesa Unified #4; 2026 rates per $100 of assessed value: 3.2740 primary and 2.5341 secondary

Pay or manage your bills

Your water

Source: Raw water from the Central Arizona Project (Colorado River) feeds Mesa treatment plants, and raw water from the Salt River Project (Salt and Verde River) is treated at another.
Hardness: Water hardness in Mesa ranges from 12 gpg (grains per gallon) to 22 gpg, depending on the water source that serves your area.
Lead: Mesa currently meets all water quality standards for the Lead and Copper Rule.

Other AZ cities

Flagstaff home costs Peoria home costs Phoenix home costs Sierra Vista home costs Lake Havasu City home costs Maricopa home costs Scottsdale home costs Bullhead City home costs

How these numbers are made

Property tax: Arizona taxes an owner-occupied home on an assessed value of 10% of its Limited Property Value (LPV), at rates per $100 of that assessed value, so each rate here is Maricopa County's 2026 rate divided by 1,000 and applied to LPV. We use tax area 041000 (Mesa Unified #4, City of Mesa): 5.4979 primary, which is 3.9851 after the state homeowner rebate (1.5128 off the school primary rate), plus 4.0559 secondary. Mesa's own city rate is secondary (bond) only; the county lists 0.0000 city primary.
The starting value is the Maricopa County Assessor's 2026 median LPV for Mesa single-family homes and condos, $194,975. Mesa has several school districts (Mesa, Gilbert, Higley, Queen Creek, Tempe and others), so your rate depends on your tax area. The state rebate is capped at $600 a parcel. Some parcels sit in special districts not counted here.
Water and sewer: City of Mesa rates effective 01/01/26. Water is $32.97 a month for a 3/4-inch meter including 3,000 gallons, then $3.81, $5.81, $7.11 and $8.03 per 1,000 gallons by tier; the drought commodity charge ($0.08 per 1,000 gallons above 3,000) applies only after a shortage declaration and is not included. Sewer is $25.92 plus $2.13 per 1,000 gallons x 90% of average winter use, converted to CCF and capped at the 4,000-gallon median winter use.
Coming change: the water, sewer and trash rates here are Mesa's current ones (effective 01/01/26). On Oct 5, 2026 the council issued a Notice of Intent to change utility rates; per AZFamily, most households' bills would rise by less than $6 a month, with a final vote scheduled Dec 8 and any new rates effective Feb 1, 2027. Totals here do not include that change.
Trash: once-a-week barrel service plus the $1.00 Mesa Green and Clean fee, billed monthly. Mesa's median residential use is 6,000 gallons a month of water.
Electricity: SRP plan E-23, a flat per-kWh rate that is a seasonal weighted average (not a rate SRP bills) over the year (4 summer months, 2 summer-peak months, 6 winter months), Tier 2 service charge $30. Mesa homes may instead be served by APS or City of Mesa Electric, and gas by City of Mesa Gas or Southwest Gas; gas is left out because the monthly Natural Gas Supply Cost Adjustment is not on a downloadable page. City utility bills also add transaction privilege tax, not included.
Insurance is the Arizona statewide NAIC average for 2022, the latest state-level NAIC figure on the Triple-I page, not a Mesa figure. Premiums have changed since 2022, and later private surveys use different methods and are not comparable, so treat it as a rough baseline.
Modelling: homes assumed owner-occupied class three property at 10% of LPV, rates per $100 assessed value; electric figures use SRP E-23, though APS also serves parts of Mesa; gas not priced.
Nothing here is legal, tax or insurance advice.

Sources

How Mesa compares

A typical Mesa house against the 9 Arizona cities we cover, using the same default numbers as the total above.

Per year	Mesa	Median	Where it falls
Property tax rate	0.80%	0.78%	higher than 5 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover
Water	$533	$480	higher than 8 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover
Sewer and utility-bill fees	$403	$435	lower than 6 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover
Trash	$432	$336	higher than 5 of the other 6 Arizona cities we cover
Electricity and gas	$1,945	$2,648	lower than 7 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover
Home insurance	$1,018	$1,018	in the middle of 8 other Arizona cities we cover
Total	$5,899	$6,992	lower than 5 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover

Cities bill differently (some put trash on the tax bill, some cover more services), so a higher number isn't necessarily worse. The property tax rate is compared instead of dollars because house values differ.

Questions to ask your candidates

Each one starts from a number above. Any candidate can answer them.

1. Water

The fact: Water here costs about $533 a year at typical use, higher than 8 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover.

Ask: "Water here costs about $533 a year at typical use, higher than 8 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

2. Sewer and utility-bill fees

The fact: Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here come to about $403 a year, lower than 6 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover. Some cities bill sewer on the property tax bill instead, which is not counted here.

Ask: "Sewer and flat utility-bill charges here cost about $403 a year, lower than 6 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything?"

3. Trash

The fact: Trash pickup here costs about $432 a year for the standard cart, higher than 5 of the other 6 Arizona cities we cover. Where trash is billed through the tax bill or a separate hauler, it is not counted here.

Ask: "Trash pickup here costs about $432 a year for the standard cart, higher than 5 of the other 6 Arizona cities we cover. What drives that cost, and would you change anything about the service or the price?"

4. Electricity and gas

The fact: Electricity and gas for a typical house here cost about $1,945 a year, lower than 7 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover. Rates are set mostly by the utility and the state.

Ask: "Electricity and gas here cost about $1,945 a year for a typical house, lower than 7 of the other 8 Arizona cities we cover. Which parts of that can the city influence, and what would you do about them?"

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Common questions about Mesa house costs

What is the property tax rate in Mesa?

About 0.80% of the value before exemptions a year (2026 tax year, Maricopa County (tax area 041000)), plus flat charges on the same bill.

How much is property tax on a $500,000 house in Mesa?

About $4,020 a year on $500,000 of the value before exemptions.

How much is the water bill in Mesa?

About $78 a month for water and sewer at typical use (6,000 gallons a month) on City of Mesa Water.

How much does trash pickup cost in Mesa?

$30 to $36 a month, depending on the trash cart size (35-gallon, 60-gallon, 90-gallon (standard)).

When is property tax due in Mesa?

Nov 2, 2026: Unpaid first-half 2026 property taxes become delinquent after 5 pm, and interest of 16% a year applies from then.

Can seniors lower their property tax or bills in Mesa?

Yes. Seniors 60+ with limited income: Mesa water discount: A 30% discount on the water Service Rate for senior citizens 60 and older at or below 200% of the federal poverty level; on a 3/4" service it lowers the monthly charge from $32.97 to $22.52.

How much does a house in Mesa cost to run each year?

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