Lower income, property and capital gains taxes — and 299 days of sunshine a year — are drawing high-net-worth relocating buyers to North Scottsdale’s premier private golf community.
Scottsdale, AZ September 17, 2026 –(PR.com)– Desert Mountain Club, the private golf and residential community set on 8,300 acres in the Sonoran Desert foothills of North Scottsdale, is welcoming a steady wave of high-net-worth homebuyers relocating from nine of the nation’s largest and highest-cost metro areas: Seattle, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Denver, Chicago, New York, Washington, D.C. and Minneapolis. Drawn by lower taxes, a materially lower cost of living and a year-round outdoor lifestyle, these buyers are increasingly choosing Desert Mountain’s real estate and its seven championship golf courses as their next home base.
Arizona has ranked among the nation’s top destination states for movers for six consecutive years, placing 7th in U-Haul’s 2025 Growth Index, while California, Illinois and New York ranked 50th, 49th and 47th, respectively, for out-migration — among the steepest population losses in the country. Scottsdale, and Desert Mountain Club in particular, has become a landing point for many of the households leaving those states.
Not every household leaving those cities is landing in the same Arizona. More affordable markets across the state are absorbing budget-conscious relocators, but Scottsdale has emerged as Arizona’s clear luxury tier — the address for buyers who want more than a lower tax bill, and expect world-class golf, dining and wellness infrastructure to go with it. Desert Mountain, with real estate ranging from roughly $1.65 million to more than $8.5 million, sits at the top of that tier.
The Financial Case for Moving to Scottsdale
For many relocating buyers, the decision starts with the math. Arizona levies a flat 2.5% state income tax — tied for the lowest rate in the country among states that tax income — compared with top marginal rates of 13.3% in California, 10.9% in New York, 10.75% in Washington, D.C., 9.85% in Minnesota, 4.95% in Illinois and 4.4% in Colorado. Even relocating buyers from Seattle, in Washington state, which levies no wage income tax, gain significant ground on overall cost of living once they arrive in Scottsdale.
According to Expatistan’s September 2026 cost-of-living index, day-to-day expenses in Scottsdale run substantially lower than in the cities buyers are leaving behind:
39% lower than New York, New York
29% lower than San Francisco, California
26% lower than Denver, Colorado
20% lower than Seattle, Washington
19% lower than Washington, D.C.
17% lower than San Diego, California
16% lower than Los Angeles, California
For high-net-worth relocators, the advantage compounds well beyond income tax. Arizona’s effective property tax rate is about 0.52% — versus 2.07% in Illinois, 1.60% in New York, 1.04% in Minnesota and 0.84% in Washington, according to WalletHub’s 2026 property tax rankings — meaning a comparably valued home costs meaningfully less to hold year over year. The gap is sharper still for anyone selling appreciated real estate or investments to fund the move: Arizona taxes capital gains at a flat 2.5%, compared with 13.3% in California, 10.9% in New York, 9.85% in Minnesota, up to 9.9% in Washington on large gains, 4.95% in Illinois and 4.4% in Colorado. Arizona also does not tax Social Security benefits, a meaningful factor for the many relocating retirees and semi-retired executives among Desert Mountain’s buyers.
A Lifestyle Upgrade, Not Just a Tax Move
The appeal goes well beyond the balance sheet. Scottsdale sees an average of 299 sunny days per year — nearly 100 more than the national average of 205 — with mild winters (January lows average 42°F), low humidity and virtually no snow. For buyers leaving Seattle’s rain, Chicago’s, Minneapolis’ and New York’s winters, San Francisco’s fog, or Washington, D.C. ‘s and Denver’s four-season swings, the shift means outdoor living, golf and hiking are a year-round pursuit rather than a seasonal one. That dry, low-humidity climate is also increasingly cited as a wellness draw, particularly among older residents managing joint and respiratory health.
That climate, paired with wide-open desert landscapes and a slower pace of life, is a central reason relocating buyers cite for choosing Scottsdale over a like-priced home in their home city — and why so many are choosing to make that move at Desert Mountain Club specifically.
Desert Mountain Club: Scottsdale’s Address For The relocating Buyer
Established in 1986 and ranked the #1 club in Arizona and a Platinum Club of America, Desert Mountain is the only private club in the world built around six Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses — Apache, Chiricahua, Cochise, Geronimo, Outlaw and Renegade — plus a seventh, par-54 short course and a dedicated Performance Center. The club’s seven clubhouses and ten restaurants and grills, 42,000-square-foot Sonoran Clubhouse with full fitness, spa and wellness facilities, nine tennis courts, eight pickleball courts, 25 miles of private hiking trails and more than 40 member-led social clubs give relocating families, empty nesters and golf enthusiasts a complete, resort-caliber lifestyle in one community.
More than 5,000 residents now call Desert Mountain’s 35 villages home, choosing from lock-and-leave condominiums, courtyard homes, golf-front properties and custom mountainside estates — with current listings ranging from $2 million to $20 million. For buyers leaving Seattle, Los Angeles, Chicago, San Francisco, Washington, D.C., Denver, New York, Minneapolis or San Diego, Desert Mountain offers not just a lower cost of living and a lighter tax bill, but a turnkey, amenity-rich community purpose-built for the way they want to live next.
“We’re seeing highly informed buyers arrive already convinced — people who’ve done the homework on taxes, cost of living and climate long before they ever call us. Desert Mountain gives them real estate and a lifestyle that matches the level of research they’ve put into the decision.” — Melanie Halpert, Director of Membership Sales, Desert Mountain Club
Contact Information:
DesertMountain Club
Melanie Halpert
480-595-4185
Contact via Email
https://www.desertmountain.com/
Read the full story here: https://www.pr.com/press-release/978831
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