Cost of Living in Santa Fe, New Mexico
Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Santa Fe, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.
- Population
- 89,837
- Median household income
- $82,121
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 98.8
- Unemployment rate
- 2.5%
Is Santa Fe a good place to live?
Santa Fe sits in the middle for take-home money: a typical worker keeps more here than in 80 of 178 other large cities, so whether it pays off depends on your job.
A typical worker in Santa Fe keeps $6,707 a year after taxes, rent and everyday costs. Try your job
- Cost of living1% below the US average (BEA, 2024)
- Rent$1,394 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
- Taxes$1,127 of state income tax on a typical wage
Cost of living in Santa Fe
Prices in the Santa Fe, NM area run 1% below the US average. Utilities is the biggest difference, at 23% below the US average.
- Housing8% above the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)4% below the US average
- Utilities23% below the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)1% below the US average
- All items1% below the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $1,394 | $16,728 |
| Food | $475 | $5,700 |
| Transportation | $375 | $4,500 |
| Healthcare | $347 | $4,164 |
| Utilities | $200 | $2,400 |
| Total before taxes | $2,791 | $33,492 |
Rent by apartment size
| Monthly rent | Santa Fe | Whole metro area |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $1,246 | $1,260 |
| 1 bedroom | $1,394 | $1,413 |
| 2 bedrooms | $1,715 | $1,735 |
| 3 bedrooms | $2,111 | $2,134 |
| 4 bedrooms | $2,260 | $2,280 |
Living in Santa Fe
How Santa Fe compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).
| Measure | Santa Fe | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $82,121 | $81,604 |
| Median home value | $467,100 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,693 | $1,487 |
| Households renting | 35.2% | 34.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 2.5% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 10.3% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 51.4% | 36.9% |
| Median age | 48.1 years | 39.2 years |
| Average commute, one way | 23.8 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 17.3% | 13.3% |
| Commuting by public transit | 1.1% | 3.7% |
The 1-year survey doesn’t publish commuting method for Santa Fe, so those figures come from the 2020–2024 5-year estimates.
Home internet
8 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Santa Fe, led by Xfinity, Internet Services LLC, NMSurf, CenturyLink. Fiber reaches 6.1% of homes and 14.6% can get gigabit speeds.
Pros and cons of living in Santa Fe
Pros
- Strong job market. Unemployment is 2.5%, against 4.6% nationally (ACS 2024 1-year).
- Shorter commutes. The average one-way commute is 23.8 minutes, against 27.2 nationally.
- Highly educated workforce. 51.4% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, against 36.9% nationally.
Cons
- Patchy fast internet. Only 14.6% of homes can get gigabit speeds (FCC).
What your job keeps in Santa Fe
Pick a job, or enter your salary, to see what's left after federal, payroll, state and local taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
- Typical salary
- $48,710
- Federal income tax
- −$3,665
- Payroll taxes
- −$3,726
- State income tax
- −$1,127
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$16,728
- Everyday costs
- −$16,757
a year, or $559 a month
Pay: BLS OEWS Santa Fe, NM. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.
What the most common jobs keep here
The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Santa Fe, NM area.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | $122,430 | $56,794 |
| Registered nurse | $100,790 | $42,643 |
| Teacher | $76,078 | $26,456 |
| Police officer | $74,640 | $25,512 |
| Accountant | $72,780 | $24,290 |
| Social worker | $60,973 | $15,987 |
| Auto mechanic | $55,640 | $11,953 |
| Nursing assistant | $46,530 | $5,048 |
| Medical assistant | $45,970 | $4,623 |
| Firefighter | $31,200 | −$6,626 |
Other jobs, A–Z
What each keeps in Santa Fe on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.
- Carpenter $14,812
- Civil engineer $48,979
- Data scientist $39,409
- Dental assistant $5,527
- Dental hygienist $41,642
- Dentist $77,435
- Diesel mechanic $11,544
- Electrician $13,170
- Financial analyst $33,526
- HVAC technician $7,201
- Licensed practical nurse $24,271
- Lineman $26,714
- Mechanical engineer $79,179
- Nurse practitioner $70,639
- Occupational therapist $50,137
- Paralegal $15,494
- Paramedic $26,182
- Pharmacist $74,655
- Pharmacy technician $6,082
- Physical therapist $58,341
- Physician assistant $60,157
- Plumber $7,821
- Project manager $35,174
- Radiologic technologist $32,963
- Respiratory therapist $21,724
- Software engineer $50,228
- Speech-language pathologist $40,791
- Truck driver $8,533
- Veterinarian $61,203
- Welder $9,819
Compare Santa Fe with other cities
Compare Santa Fe with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.
Moving to Santa Fe
3 licensed interstate movers are based in Santa Fe, and 1 more elsewhere in the Santa Fe, NM area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).
Questions people ask
Is Santa Fe, NM a good place to live?
Santa Fe sits in the middle for take-home money: a typical worker keeps more here than in 80 of 178 other large cities, so whether it pays off depends on your job. The typical worker here earns $48,710 and keeps $6,707 a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
What is the cost of living in Santa Fe?
Prices in the Santa Fe, NM area are 1% below the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $1,394 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,396 a month.
How much do you need to earn to live in Santa Fe?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $39,900 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Santa Fe, NM area earns $48,710.
What is the average rent in Santa Fe?
HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $1,246 for a studio, $1,394 for a 1-bedroom and $1,715 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Santa Fe at $1,693 a month (2024).
Does Santa Fe have a state or city income tax?
Yes. On a typical wage of $48,710, New Mexico state income tax comes to about $1,127 a year. Santa Fe has no local income tax on wages.
What internet providers serve Santa Fe?
8 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Santa Fe, led by Xfinity, Internet Services LLC, NMSurf, CenturyLink. 6.1% of homes can get fiber and 14.6% can get gigabit speeds (FCC National Broadband Map).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020-2024 5-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, metropolitan area estimates
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by MSA, 2024
- FCC National Broadband Map, fixed broadband availability (data as of December 31, 2025, released 2026-09-29)
- FMCSA Carrier - All With History (operating authority and insurance)
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate