Moving to Sedona: Pros, Cons & What to Know
Moving to Sedona means moving to a market that is genuinely, honestly not a conventional full-time relocation destination the way most other Tier A cities in this dataset are -- roughly 26% of homes here are not occupied by full-time residents, and short-term rentals alone make up 16.8%-20% of the single-family housing stock. Sedona's real population runs small (roughly 9,700-10,800 depending on source), straddling the Coconino/Yavapai county line.
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Learn moreUnderstand what kind of market you're moving into
Sedona's economy is a real, sourced $1 billion-plus tourism industry drawing an estimated 3.2-3.5 million visitors a year -- visitors generate 77% of the city's own sales and bed tax revenue. This isn't incidental context: it shapes housing supply, local traffic patterns, seasonal business hours, and community character in ways a conventional bedroom-community relocation wouldn't involve.
Confirm which county a specific address sits in
Sedona genuinely straddles the Coconino/Yavapai county line -- a real administrative split affecting which county government, some services, and potentially school district apply to a specific address. Confirm this directly for any property under serious consideration rather than assuming a single county applies citywide.
Housing costs are extreme relative to most of this dataset
Sedona's median home price runs in a real, disclosed $1.1M-$1.36M range depending on source and month -- among the highest of any market built in this dataset relative to population. See housing-market and cost-of-living for the fuller picture, including why median household income runs below the national median despite these prices.
Arizona's flat 2.5% state income tax and a real, higher-than-typical local sales tax apply here
Sedona's combined sales tax rate runs 10.4% in most of the city (5.6% AZ state + 1.3% Yavapai County + 3.5% City of Sedona) -- among the higher combined rates in this dataset, layered on top of Arizona's flat 2.5% state income tax. See taxes for the full picture.
Key takeaways
- Sedona is genuinely not a conventional full-time relocation market -- roughly 26% of homes are not full-time-occupied, and short-term rentals make up 16.8%-20% of the single-family housing stock.
- Sedona's real population runs small (roughly 9,700-10,800 depending on source) and straddles the Coconino/Yavapai county line -- confirm which county a specific address sits in.
- Housing runs extreme relative to most of this dataset: a real $1.1M-$1.36M median sale price range depending on source and month.
- Sedona's combined sales tax rate (10.4% in most of the city) is among the higher rates in this dataset, on top of Arizona's flat 2.5% state income tax.
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