The short version: three numbers decide whether a first-time buyer in Arizona gets help: the program’s own cap, HUD’s income limit for the metro, and the FHA loan limit for the county. This page puts all three beside what a two-to-four-unit home costs in each Arizona metro, because a duplex you live in is the one purchase where the rent from the other unit counts toward qualifying.
The statewide program in Arizona
The full 83-metro survey, with the programs that failed the two-to-four-unit test, is on the down payment assistance page.
Income limits for assistance in Arizona, by metro
Why the limit moves: HUD sets a median family income for every metro each year and most programs cap eligibility at 80% of it. The published 80% figure is adjusted, so it is not always exactly 80% of the median. The same salary can qualify in one Arizona metro and miss in the next.
| Metro | Area median income (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (4 people) | HUD 80% limit (1 person) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | $112,400 | $89,900 | $62,950 |
| Tucson, AZ | $99,800 | $79,850 | $55,900 |
What a duplex costs in Arizona, and the income it takes
The part most buyers miss: in every Arizona metro surveyed the income needed for the typical duplex sits above the four-person 80% limit, so income-tested assistance, where a city or county offers it, reaches cheaper buildings than the median one. The income figure is FHA’s 31% front-end guideline on the typical duplex at 6.71% with 3.5% down, before the 75% rent credit a lender applies to the second unit.
| Metro | Duplex entry price | Typical duplex | Income needed (31%) | Versus the 80% limit (4 people) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | $499,999 | $598,000 | $182,679 | over |
| Tucson, AZ | $339,500 | $425,000 | $137,602 | over |
FHA loan limits in Arizona for 2026
An FHA loan, the 3.5%-down loan most first-time buyers use, caps the loan by county and by unit count. The two-, three- and four-unit limits are higher than the single-family limit, which is why a duplex can be financed with the same small down payment at a higher price.
| Metro | 1 unit | 2 units | 3 units | 4 units |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Phoenix, AZ | $557,750 | $714,000 | $863,100 | $1,072,600 |
| Tucson, AZ | $541,287 | $693,050 | $837,700 | $1,041,125 |
Where these numbers come from
- Down payment assistance: state and local program pages, each checked for two-to-four-unit eligibility in the month shown; the 83-metro survey is published as open data.
- Area median income and the 80% limit: HUD FY2026 Income Limits (Section 8), huduser.gov.
- FHA loan limits: HUD CHUMS CY2026 forward limits by county, one- to four-unit columns.
- Duplex prices: the Foothold dataset, active two-to-four-unit listings screened Jun-Aug 2026. Income needed: FHA 31% front-end guideline at 6.71% (Freddie Mac 30-year average), 3.5% down, county tax rate and modeled insurance.
- All of it, as one file: the open data page (CC BY 4.0).
Program terms change without notice and eligibility has more tests than income. Verify on the program page and with a participating lender before you count on any of it.
Questions people ask about buying a first home in Arizona
Do Arizona’s state and local programs allow a duplex?
Arizona’s state and local programs did not cover a two-to-four-unit home when checked in July 2026. A duplex buyer in Arizona looks to a city or county program, or buys with the FHA 3.5% minimum and the 75% rent credit doing the work instead of a grant.
What is the income limit for down payment assistance in Arizona?
The income limit most Arizona assistance programs use is HUD’s 80% area median income figure for the metro, which for a four-person household is $79,850 in Tucson and $89,900 in Phoenix for FY2026. Smaller households get a lower figure; $55,900 for one person in Tucson.
Which Arizona metro is cheapest for a duplex?
The cheapest Arizona metro to buy a duplex in the dataset is Tucson, where the entry price for a two-to-four-unit home that passed the screen is $339,500 and the typical one is $425,000. Entry means the 25th percentile of surviving listings, not the cheapest building on the market.
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