Lake Havasu City composite
38.2 /100
Grade D · weighted across 7 dims
Metro comparison
Lake Havasu City vs Yuma
Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ and Yuma, AZ side by side, cost of living, rent, wages, crime, schools, childcare and environment, all from the same federal datasets so every number is directly comparable.
- 38.2
- Lake Havasu City Life Score
- D
- Lake Havasu City grade
- 47.2
- Yuma Life Score
- C+
- Yuma grade
Head-to-head verdict
Across the seven dimensions, Lake Havasu City scores higher on 3 (rent, safety, childcare) and Yuma on 4 (cost of living, wages, schools, environment). The radar shows the full shape; the tables below break out every figure.
Lake Havasu City vs Yuma across all seven dimensions (each scored 0–100 as a national percentile, bigger area = stronger overall)
Where each metro wins, and by how much
Every dimension is a national percentile (0–100). Each bar leans toward the stronger metro, a long lean is a decisive edge, a near-even split is a toss-up. The radar shows the overall shape; this shows the per-dimension margins.
◖ Lake Havasu City Yuma ◗
cost of living
46
57
wages
20
31
rent
41
40
safety
22
21
schools
66
68
childcare
39
37
environment
49
100
Lake Havasu City and Yuma differ across eleven dimensions of livability. Lake Havasu City has a cost-of-living index of 94.1 vs Yuma's 92.7 (national average = 100). Median salaries are $57,908 in Lake Havasu City and $60,787 in Yuma. A 2-bedroom averages $1,365/mo vs $1,382/mo.
How to read this matchup
Reading the Lake Havasu City vs Yuma Comparison
Lake Havasu City (AZ) and Yuma (AZ) are assembled here from the same federal data pipeline, BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, FBI Uniform Crime Reports, NCES public-school counts, and EPA environmental indicators, so every number on this page is directly comparable. The overall cost index reads 94.1 for Lake Havasu City against 92.7 for Yuma, a 1.4-point gap on a scale where 100 equals the U.S. average. HUD's 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent, the figure used to set housing-choice voucher payment standards, is $1,365/mo in Lake Havasu City and $1,382/mo in Yuma, a $17/mo difference that compounds to $204 over a year.
On wages, BLS OES reports a median salary of $57,908 across 51,040 jobs in Lake Havasu City against $60,787 across 61,240 jobs in Yuma. Adjusted through the BEA cost-of-living lens, $100,000 earned in Lake Havasu City carries the same local purchasing power as $98,521 in Yuma - the most honest way to read the salary headline, because nominal wages and rents move together in tight metros. State-level violent crime, the most reliable geographic tier FBI UCR publishes, is 428.6 per 100,000 residents in AZ vs 428.6 in AZ, with property-crime rates of 1786.0 and 1786.0 respectively.
Schools are reported at the state tier by NCES: AZ lists 2,186 public schools at a 17.0:1 student-teacher ratio, while AZ lists 2,186 schools at 17.0:1, a signal of class-size staffing, though individual district and school-level variation within each state is substantial. Department of Labor center-based infant care runs $11,301/yr in the Lake Havasu City area versus $11,301/yr in Yuma - a line item that shifts the real cost-of-living picture for households with children under five far more than headline RPP does. When these pieces are read together rather than in isolation, Lake Havasu City and Yuma are not simply "cheaper" or "more expensive" - they trade across dimensions, and which metro wins depends on whether your household optimizes for rent, wages, schools, childcare, safety, or environment. Treat the tables below as inputs to that trade-off, not as a single ranking.
Yuma composite
47.2 /100
Grade C+ · weighted across 7 dims
Cost-of-living gap
1.4 pts
Lake Havasu City vs Yuma BEA RPP
2-bed rent delta
$17 /mo
Yuma priced higher
Composite life score on the national 0–100 scale
Lake Havasu City
Lake Havasu City composite (Grade D)
Yuma
Yuma composite (Grade C+)
Composite is a weighted roll-up of seven dimensions: cost (20%), wages (20%), rent (15%), safety (15%), schools (10%), childcare (10%), environment (10%). Each input normalized to a 0–100 percentile across all metros.
💰 Cost of Living BEA →
| Category | Lake Havasu City | Yuma |
|---|---|---|
| Overall RPP | 94.1 | 92.7 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.2 |
| Services | 88.7 | 87.8 |
| Rents | 79.8 | 73.8 |
Salary Equivalent Calculator
What salary in Yuma gives the same purchasing power as your salary in Lake Havasu City?
$
Equivalent in Yuma:
$98,521
Based on BEA Regional Price Parities (Lake Havasu City: 94.1, Yuma: 92.7, national avg = 100).
🏠 Rent (Fair Market Rent) HUD →
| Bedrooms | Lake Havasu City | Yuma |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,053/mo | $1,046/mo |
| 1 Bedroom | $1,060/mo | $1,053/mo |
| 2 Bedroom | $1,365/mo | $1,382/mo |
| 3 Bedroom | $1,897/mo | $1,892/mo |
| 4 Bedroom | $2,090/mo | $2,318/mo |
💼 Wages & Employment BLS →
| Metric | Lake Havasu City | Yuma |
|---|---|---|
| Avg Median Salary | $57,908 | $60,787 |
| Total Employment | 51,040 | 61,240 |
🛡️ Crime Rates (state-level) FBI →
| Crime Type (per 100K) | Lake Havasu City (AZ) | Yuma (AZ) |
|---|---|---|
| Violent Crime | 428.6 | 428.6 |
| Property Crime | 1786.0 | 1786.0 |
🎓 Schools (state-level) NCES →
| Metric | AZ | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Total Schools | 2,186 | 2,186 |
| Student-Teacher Ratio | 17.0:1 | 17.0:1 |
| Charter Schools | 25.9% | 25.9% |
👶 Childcare Costs (Annual Avg) (state-level) DOL →
| Age Group | AZ | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Infant (Center) | $11,301/yr | $11,301/yr |
| Toddler (Center) | $8,667/yr | $8,667/yr |
| Preschool (Center) | $8,667/yr | $8,667/yr |
🌿 Environment (state-level) EPA →
| Metric | AZ | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| EPA Facilities | 355 | 355 |
| Water Systems | 956 | 956 |
| Superfund Sites | 13 | 13 |
| Water Violations | 4,821 | 4,821 |
Government-verified data - Air quality (EPA AQS), water safety (EPA SDWIS), healthcare access (HRSA), and disaster risk (FEMA NRI) are sourced directly from U.S. federal agencies. No crowdsourced estimates.
💨 Air Quality (EPA AQS) EPA AQS →
| Metric | Lake Havasu City | Yuma |
|---|---|---|
| Median AQI | 19.0 | 47.0 |
| Good Air Days | 98.6% | 58.1% |
| Unhealthy Air Days | 0 days | 4 days |
💧 Water Safety (EPA SDWIS, state-level) EPA SDWIS →
| Metric | AZ | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Water Safety Score | 2/100 | 2/100 |
| Total Violations | 228,944 | 228,944 |
| Health-Based Violations | 15,663 | 15,663 |
| Systems with Violations | 98.4% | 98.4% |
🏥 Healthcare Access (HRSA, state-level) HRSA →
| Metric | AZ | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Healthcare Access Score | 0/100 | 0/100 |
| Population in Shortage Area | 100.0% | 100.0% |
| HPSA Designations | 622 | 622 |
HPSA = Health Professional Shortage Area, designated by HRSA. Higher access score = better healthcare availability.
⚠️ Natural Disaster Risk (FEMA NRI, state-level) FEMA NRI →
| Metric | AZ | AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Disaster Safety Score | 17/100 | 17/100 |
| NRI Risk Score (avg county) | 84.5 | 84.5 |
| Expected Annual Loss Score | 79.8 | 79.8 |
FEMA National Risk Index (NRI) scores are county-level percentiles (0–100). Higher disaster safety score = lower relative risk. State-level values are county averages.
Crime, schools, childcare, and environment data shown at state level. Metro-specific data for these dimensions is not available.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Lake Havasu City more expensive than Yuma? ▼
Lake Havasu City has a cost of living index of 94.1 compared to Yuma's 92.7 (national average = 100). Lake Havasu City is 1.4 points above Yuma on the BEA Regional Price Parity scale.
What is the rent difference between Lake Havasu City and Yuma? ▼
A 2-bedroom apartment averages $1,365/mo in Lake Havasu City vs $1,382/mo in Yuma, based on HUD Fair Market Rent data. Studios range from $1,053/mo to $1,046/mo.
How do salaries compare between Lake Havasu City and Yuma? ▼
The average median salary across all occupations is $57,908 in Lake Havasu City and $60,787 in Yuma, according to BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics. After adjusting for cost of living, $100,000 in Lake Havasu City has the same purchasing power as $98,521 in Yuma.
Is Lake Havasu City or Yuma safer? ▼
At the state level, AZ has a violent crime rate of 428.6 per 100,000 residents compared to AZ's 428.6 per 100,000. Property crime rates are 1786.0 vs 1786.0 per 100,000 respectively, based on FBI Uniform Crime Report data.
How do schools compare between Lake Havasu City and Yuma? ▼
AZ has 2,186 public schools with an average student-teacher ratio of 17.0:1, while AZ has 2,186 schools at 17.0:1. Charter schools make up 25.9% of AZ schools vs 25.9% in AZ. Data from the National Center for Education Statistics.
Where does the comparison data come from? ▼
All data comes from official U.S. government sources: Bureau of Economic Analysis (cost of living), HUD (fair market rents), BLS (wages), FBI UCR (crime), NCES (schools), Department of Labor (childcare), EPA (environment, air quality, water safety), HRSA (healthcare access), and FEMA NRI (disaster risk). No crowdsourced estimates or proprietary ratings are used.
Research Guides
Explore more
Data from BEA, HUD, FBI UCR, BLS OES, NCES, DOL, EPA AQS, EPA SDWIS, HRSA, and FEMA NRI. Not affiliated with the U.S. Government.
Disclaimer: This comparison is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, or relocation advice. Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Related
Data sourced from official public datasets, current as of 2026. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainCompare Editorial