What is the combined sales tax rate in Mesa, Arizona?

The combined rate is 8.3%. This is built from the Arizona state transaction privilege tax of 5.6%, the Maricopa County rate of 0.7%, and the Mesa city tax of 2.0%. The combined figure is what you pay at the register on most retail goods.

Are groceries taxed in Mesa?

Most cities in Arizona, including Mesa, do not levy city sales tax on grocery food for home consumption, and the state exempts groceries as well. This calculator treats unprepared grocery food as exempt so its tax is zero. Prepared and restaurant food is fully taxable.

Is this a sales tax or a transaction privilege tax?

Arizona technically levies a transaction privilege tax (TPT) on the seller for the privilege of doing business, but it is passed to the buyer and functions exactly like a sales tax. The 8.3% rate is what appears on your Mesa receipt.

Are prescription drugs taxed?

No. Prescription medications are exempt from Arizona TPT and from Mesa city tax, so the tax on them is zero. Over-the-counter medicine, however, is taxable like any other retail good.

Does the rate change for different areas of Mesa?

The 8.3% combined rate applies city-wide within Mesa. Special districts or specific categories like hotels can carry additional levies, but for ordinary retail purchases anywhere in Mesa the 8.3% rate is correct.

Mesa Combined Sales Tax Calculator

Buying something in Mesa, Arizona means paying a combined sales tax that stacks three separate levels of government. This calculator applies Mesa’s current combined rate of 8.3% and automatically zeroes out items that Arizona exempts, so you see the exact tax and total before you reach the register.

How it works

Mesa’s combined rate is the sum of three components:

Arizona state TPT   5.6%
Maricopa County     0.7%
Mesa city tax       2.0%
-----------------------
Combined            8.3%

For taxable goods the tax is simply amount × 0.083, and the total is amount + tax. Grocery food for home consumption and prescription drugs are exempt under Arizona law, so for those item types the tax is set to zero and the total equals the purchase amount.

Example and notes

A $100 taxable purchase incurs $8.30 in tax for a $103.30 total. The same $100 spent on unprepared groceries incurs $0 city/state tax. Note that prepared food (restaurant meals, hot deli items) is taxable, while raw grocery food is not — so a sandwich made to order is taxed but the bread and cold cuts to make it yourself at home are not.