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Arizona New-Build Cost Estimator
Estimate hard cost, site work, fees, design, and contingency for a new single-family home in any Arizona county.
Arizona sales tax on construction (transaction privilege tax) is not its own line. Prime contracting is taxed on 65% of the contractor's gross income after the land deduction, and that tax is normally already inside the contract price.
Estimated total, excluding land
$411,100
$192/sq ft all-in · planning range $370,000 to $452,200
- Effective living-area rate
- $144/sq ft Exact rate $143.65/sq ft before rounding.
- Hard cost (house + garage)
- $339,300
- Site work, fees, and design
- $36,400
- Contingency
- $35,400
| Item | Amount |
|---|---|
| Hard cost | $339,300 |
| Site work | $15,000 |
| Fees | $16,300 |
| Design | $5,100 |
| Contingency | $35,400 |
Headline dollars are rounded to the nearest $100.
Results link:
With the defaults (Yuma County, standard finish, city utilities), the effective rate is $143.65 per sq ft. Living area $307,698 plus garage $31,603 equals a hard cost of $339,301. Fees $16,286 plus design $5,090 plus site work $15,000 equals $36,376. Contingency is $35,430. Total about $411,100, or about $192 per conditioned sq ft (range about $370,000 to $452,200). The same house with Maricopa's 1.12 factor comes to about $536,500 ($250 per sq ft).
How this is calculated
finish_mult = {basic: 0.90, standard: 1.00, upgraded: 1.20}[finish_level]
effective_psf = base_cost_psf * county_factor * finish_mult
living_cost = sqft_conditioned * effective_psf
garage_cost = sqft_garage * effective_psf * garage_ratio/100
hard_cost = living_cost + garage_cost
fees = hard_cost * fees_pct/100
design = hard_cost * design_pct/100
soft_cost = fees + design + site_work
contingency = (hard_cost + site_work) * contingency_pct/100
total_cost = hard_cost + soft_cost + contingency
all_in_psf = total_cost / sqft_conditioned
range_low = total_cost * (1 - range_pct/100)
range_high = total_cost * (1 + range_pct/100)
Displayed dollars round to the nearest $100. Per-square-foot figures round to the nearest $1.
Arizona transaction privilege tax on prime contracting is not added as its own line. It is treated as already inside a builder's contract price: 65% of gross income after the land deduction (A.R.S. 42-5075).Default values and sources
| Default | Value | Status | Source | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Base cost per sq ft | $169 | Sourced | NAHB analysis of the Census Survey of Construction | Median price per sq ft of floor area for contractor-built single-family detached homes started in 2024, Mountain division. Contract price, land excluded. |
| Living area | 2,142 sq ft | Sourced | Census Characteristics of New Housing | Median size of single-family homes completed in 2025. |
| Fees (permits, impact, water and sewer) | 4.8% | Sourced | NAHB Cost of Constructing a Home 2024, Table 1 | National average: permits 1.8% + impact 1.5% + water/sewer fees 1.5%. Set to 0 if the contract already includes them. |
| Architecture and engineering | 1.5% | Sourced | NAHB Cost of Constructing a Home 2024, Table 1 | National average. Set to 0 if you already own plans. |
| County cost factor | See county table | Derived | Census Building Permits Survey, county annual files, 2024 and 2025 | Average permit valuation per 1-unit building, divided by the Arizona average, then capped at 0.85-1.15. The cap is an assumption. Also see the 2024 file at https://www2.census.gov/econ/bps/County/co2024a.txt. Default rate = $169 times the factor. |
| Construction tax treatment | 65% of gross, land deducted | Sourced | A.R.S. § 42-5075 | Not added as its own line. Treated as already inside the contract price. |
| Garage area | 440 sq ft | Editable assumption | No public source verified | Typical two-car garage. |
| Garage cost share | 50% of the living-area rate | Editable assumption | No public source verified | Garage dollars per sq ft = effective living rate times this share. |
| Finish multipliers | 0.90 / 1.00 / 1.20 | Editable assumption | No public source verified | Basic, standard, and upgraded planning bands. |
| Site work by utilities | $15,000 / $30,000 / $50,000 | Editable assumption | No public source verified | City water and sewer, city water and septic, or well and septic. Replace with quotes. |
| Contingency | 10% of hard cost + site work | Editable assumption | No public source verified | Change orders, soil surprises, and price moves. |
| Planning range | 10% either way | Editable assumption | No public source verified | A band around the total, not a quote. |
Sources last verified: 2026-10-18. Re-verify every source at least yearly.
County factor table
Method: average permit valuation per 1-unit building, divided by the Arizona average, pooled over 2024-2025, then capped at 0.85 to 1.15. The cap is an assumption. Default dollars per square foot are $169 times the factor, rounded to the nearest dollar.
| County | 1-unit permits | Avg permit valuation | Raw index | Default factor | Default $/sq ft |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apache | 212 | $222,149 | 0.74 | 0.85 | $144 |
| Cochise | 868 | $148,175 | 0.49 | 0.85 | $144 |
| Coconino | 752 | $416,150 | 1.38 | 1.15 | $194 |
| Gila | 302 | $311,417 | 1.03 | 1.03 | $174 |
| Graham | 326 | $291,485 | 0.97 | 0.97 | $164 |
| Greenlee | 33 | $186,370 | 0.62 | 0.85 | $144 |
| La Paz | 154 | $143,615 | 0.48 | 0.85 | $144 |
| Maricopa | 38,911 | $337,145 | 1.12 | 1.12 | $189 |
| Mohave | 4,165 | $210,347 | 0.70 | 0.85 | $144 |
| Navajo | 868 | $330,545 | 1.10 | 1.10 | $186 |
| Pima | 7,742 | $360,901 | 1.20 | 1.15 | $194 |
| Pinal | 15,121 | $217,509 | 0.72 | 0.85 | $144 |
| Santa Cruz | 689 | $253,462 | 0.84 | 0.85 | $144 |
| Yavapai | 3,183 | $349,594 | 1.16 | 1.15 | $194 |
| Yuma | 1,989 | $182,192 | 0.60 | 0.85 | $144 |
| Arizona (pooled) | 75,315 | $301,673 | 1.00 | n/a | $169 |
Greenlee has very few permits, so its index is noisy.
How the estimate is built
What this estimator does
This tool splits the cost of a new single-family home into the pieces estimators use. Hard cost is the house and garage. Next come site work (getting the lot ready and connected), fees (permits, impact fees, utility connections), and design (plans and engineering). The last piece is a contingency for what nobody can see yet. Land is left out so you can compare houses on equal terms. The Lot Carry Cost Calculator handles the cost of holding the land.
Where the default rate comes from
The starting rate is $169 per square foot. That's the median price per square foot of contractor-built homes started in 2024 in the Census Bureau's Mountain division, which includes Arizona. It's a contract price, so it already reflects the builder's labor, materials, overhead, and margin, but not the lot.
Arizona isn't one market, so the tool scales that rate by county. The county factor compares the average construction value on single-family permits in each county with the statewide average. Permit values are an imperfect yardstick: they also reflect home size, and some departments set them from fee tables. So we cap the adjustment at 15% either way and show the raw number beside it. If you have a recent local bid, replace both the rate and the factor with your own numbers.
Square footage and finish level
Enter conditioned square feet: the heated and cooled living area from your plan. Garage space is priced separately at a share of the living-area rate (50% by default). It has no HVAC, simpler finishes, and usually less insulation. The finish level adjusts the rate for cabinets, counters, flooring, fixtures, and exterior details. Basic, standard, and upgraded are planning bands, not specifications.
Site work: the swing line in southwest Arizona
On an infill lot with city water and sewer, site work may be modest. On a rural parcel in Yuma, La Paz, or Cochise County, a septic system, a well, a long utility trench, or a new electrical service can add tens of thousands of dollars. Choose the utilities option that matches your lot and replace the default allowance with real quotes when you have them.
Fees, design, and contingency
Fees and design use national averages from the NAHB's 2024 cost survey: 4.8% for permits, impact fees, and utility-connection fees, and 1.5% for architecture and engineering. Your city or county fee schedule will differ. Some builder contracts include these items, so set them to zero rather than counting them twice. Contingency covers change orders, soil surprises, and price moves. The tool applies it to both hard cost and site work.
Reading the result
The headline number is the all-in cost per conditioned square foot. Use it to compare scenarios: change one input at a time and watch how much it moves. The 10% band is a planning range, not a quote. A real number needs plans, a site visit, and written bids from licensed contractors.
From here you can estimate carry costs on this build, see how long permitting takes in your county, or compare this total with buying. Related writing is with the Arizona build-cost articles.
Questions
How much does it cost per square foot to build a house in Arizona?
With this tool's defaults, a standard-finish home works out to about $144–$194 per square foot of living area for the structure, depending on county. Site work, fees, design, and contingency bring the all-in figure higher: about $192 per square foot for the Yuma County example. The base comes from the 2024 Census median for contractor-built homes in the Mountain region ($169), and land isn't included.
Why is the Yuma County default lower than Maricopa or Pima?
Census permit data shows the average construction value on single-family permits in Yuma County at about 60% of the Arizona average for 2024–2025, while Maricopa is about 12% higher. Part of that gap reflects smaller homes, not just cheaper labor. So the tool caps the county adjustment at ±15%, which gives Yuma a 0.85 factor. Replace it with a local bid when you have one.
Does the estimate include Arizona sales tax on construction?
It's assumed to be in the builder's price. Arizona taxes prime contracting on 65% of the contractor's gross income, after deducting the land, under A.R.S. § 42-5075. Contractors normally build that into the contract price rather than billing it separately. If your contract lists tax as its own line, add it to your budget.
What should I enter for site work if my lot needs a well and septic?
Choose "well + septic" to load a $50,000 placeholder, then replace it with quotes from a licensed well driller and septic designer. Well depth, pump size, and soil percolation vary from lot to lot, so there's no reliable statewide number. Also budget for grading, the driveway, utility trenching, and any electrical line extension.
How accurate is a cost-per-square-foot estimate?
It's a budgeting tool, not a bid. Per-square-foot figures smooth over differences in plan complexity, foundation, roof shape, and finishes, so treat the ±10% band as a starting range. For a firm number, get a full plan set and written bids from licensed Arizona contractors. Then come back and enter their figures in place of the defaults.
Educational estimate only. This isn't a bid, appraisal, or professional advice. Costs vary by plan, site, contractor, and market conditions. Verify every input with licensed professionals and your local building department.