Leisure World offers resort-style living for active adults 55+ where this established gated community combines extensive recreational amenities with age-restricted housing in eastern Mesa. Residents enjoy championship golf, multiple pools, and organized social activities creating built-in community connections increasingly valued by seniors seeking active retirement environments. Association rules create more regulated experiences than typical rental communities with specific aesthetic standards, but those seeking predictable surroundings appreciate both the maintained facilities and remarkable value compared to similar age-restricted communities in California despite comparable amenities but requiring personal comfort with structured community governance.
Dobson Ranch features established homes surrounding multiple lakes and a golf course in western Mesa. Rental properties often include water views, community pools, and desert-adaptive landscaping throughout this mature planned community. The neighborhood provides excellent access to both Superstition Freeway connections and shopping along Southern Avenue, creating convenient positioning for households working throughout the southeastern Phoenix metropolitan area.
Desert beauty surrounds Mesa Grande, where the Superstition Mountains create dramatic sunrise backdrops and stargazing opportunities in clear night skies. Residents enjoy Usery Mountain Regional Park's hiking trails just minutes away, with many homes featuring xeriscaped yards that celebrate rather than fight the desert environment. Though summer temperatures regularly exceed 110°F, thoughtfully-designed outdoor living spaces with misters and shade structures extend usable outdoor time. The neighborhood's established citrus trees provide unexpected greenery and seasonal harvests.
Welcome to the Apartment List March 2026 Rent Report for Mesa, AZ. Currently, the overall median rent in the city stands at $1,292, roughly the same as last month. Prices are now down 3.9% year-over-year. Read on to learn more about what’s been happening in the Mesa rental market and how it compares to trends throughout the broader Phoenix metro area and the nation as a whole.
National study of renter’s satisfaction with their cities and states
Apartment List has released Mesa’s results from the third annual Apartment List Renter Satisfaction Survey. This survey, which drew on responses from over 45,000 renters, provides insight on what states and cities must do to meet the needs of 111 million American renters nationwide.
"Mesa renters expressed general satisfaction with the city overall," according to Apartment List. "Some categories received average scores, and many received below average scores."
Key findings in Mesa include the following:
Mesa renters gave their city a C+ overall.
The highest-rated categories for Mesa were weather, affordability, and state and local taxes, which all received B grades.
The areas of concern for Mesa renters are jobs and career opportunities (F) and social life (D).
Millennial renters are unsatisfied with their city, giving it an overall rating of C, while renters who are parents are more satisfied, giving it a B.
Mesa did relatively poorly compared to other cities in Arizona, including Phoenix (B-) and Tempe (A-), but earned higher marks than Tucson (D).
Mesa did relatively poorly compared to similar cities nationwide, including Denver, CO (B+), Nashville, TN (A-) and Portland, OR (B).
The top rated cities nationwide for renter satisfaction include Scottsdale, AZ, Irvine, CA, Boulder, CO and Ann Arbor, MI. The lowest rated cities include Tallahassee, FL, Stockton, CA, Dayton, OH, Detroit, MI and Newark, NJ.
Renters say:
For more information on the survey methodology and findings or to speak to one of our researchers, please contact our team at rentonomics@apartmentlist.com.
