How Affordable Is New Mexico, Really?

What it costs to live here, and how good a place it is to live, in plain numbers.

Best place to live rank

#27

27th out of 50 states overall.

Below average for overall quality of life.

How we rank states ›

Cost to live here

#19

19th cheapest state, about 9% below average.

To live the way $75,000 affords in an average state, you would need about $67,900 here.

How we measure cost ›

New Mexico ranks 27th of 50 states for overall quality of life and 19th for affordability. It does best on climate, air quality, and dog friendly, and struggles most with economy, education, and safety. A typical household earns about $59,800 a year, and the cost of living runs about 9% below average.

Why New Mexico ranks #27 for living

Our Best Life Rank scores every state on the things that shape daily life, from cost and climate to schools and safety. Here is how New Mexico scores on each, best to worst.

Climate
#9 of 50
Air quality
#10 of 50
Dog friendly
#10 of 50
Green space
#11 of 50
Cost of living
#19 of 50
Walkability
#29 of 50
Healthcare
#32 of 50
Economy
#41 of 50
Education
#48 of 50
Safety
#48 of 50

Each factor is ranked 1 (best) to 50 (worst) across all states. Green is strong, yellow is middling, red is weak.

New Mexico at a glance

Typical household income

$59,800

46th highest

Typical home price

$320,000

29th highest

Overall cost of living

9% below average

19th cheapest

Total taxes on a typical household

About 9%

15th highest income tax

Typical commute

About 23 min

one way

Taxes in New Mexico

See your real New Mexico take-home pay

Enter your salary and get your actual paycheck after New Mexico taxes.

Calculate my take-home pay ›
Sources: Cost and income from the U.S. Census and Bureau of Labor Statistics. Tax rates from the Tax Foundation. Best Life Rank factors from the Commonwealth Fund, NAEP, FBI, EPA, and NOAA. Cost measured by the BLISS Score, v1.3 method. Updated 2026.