Tucson is vastly superior to Phx in every possible way.
I don't know if you're at all interested, but Tucson is the most bicycle-friendly city I think I've ever been to. I try to bike-commute as often as possible and it's really easy to get around like that.
Utility bills are all in how you use stuff... my electric bill is $20/month right now, during the dead of summer I kept the A/C at about 90F and it went up to maybe $50/month. I'm paying $35/month for ComCast internet and basic cable (you don't have to pay for the cable to get the cable when you have a cable modem, just plug in the TV - try it sometime
).
Great thing about Tucson too are the mountains directly to the north of the city. This does a few things for us. First, it's a natural barrier to development. The property right along the foothills is and always will be super expensive houses on large lots. It's a nice buffer. The same thing is true to the far east of the city.
Second, you want to see trees? No problem. How 'bout snow? We do that too...
This is Tucson in December up there...
