Cost of living comparison
compared to
New Mexico vs. North Carolina Cost of Living Summary
New Mexico is 3.9% cheaper than North Carolina.
- Restaurants
-
pay 2.4% more in New Mexico
- Groceries
-
pay 8.3% less in New Mexico
- Transportation
-
pay 17.8% less in New Mexico
- Housing
-
pay 7.5% less in New Mexico
- Childcare
-
pay 12.8% less in New Mexico
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 10.7% more in New Mexico
- Clothing
-
pay 6.1% more in New Mexico
The cost of entertainment and sports, clothing, and restaurants in New Mexico are more expensive than in North Carolina. Expenses including transportation, childcare, groceries, and housing are lower in New Mexico.
New Mexico vs. North Carolina Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New Mexico instead of North Carolina, you would:
pay 2.4% more for restaurants
|
North Carolina
|
New Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$17.06
|
$17.70
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$10.47
|
$10.10
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.28
|
$2.48
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.82
|
$1.84
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Mexico - Cost of restaurants
pay 8.3% less for groceries
|
North Carolina
|
New Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.79
|
$3.08
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.80
|
$6.32
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$3.73
|
$3.81
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$3.98
|
$4.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.20
|
$5.09
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.47
|
$2.18
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.71
|
$0.69
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.20
|
$2.03
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.37
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.74
|
$1.46
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.80
|
$1.20
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Mexico - Cost of groceries
pay 17.8% less for transportation
|
North Carolina
|
New Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$2.98
|
$2.94
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$60.67
|
$32.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,588.64
|
$29,636.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.99
|
$17.84
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Mexico - Cost of transportation
pay 7.5% less for housing
|
North Carolina
|
New Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$72.77
|
$68.61
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,488.15
|
$1,407.44
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,261.77
|
$1,172.03
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$132.31
|
$116.42
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Mexico - Cost of housing
pay 12.8% less for childcare
|
North Carolina
|
New Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,261.89
|
$1,218.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,633.15
|
$19,225.20
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Mexico - Cost of childcare
pay 10.7% more for entertainment and sports
|
North Carolina
|
New Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$5.12
|
$5.40
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$4.82
|
$4.78
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$7.77
|
$9.57
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$48.40
|
$66.14
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$12.98
|
$11.57
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Mexico - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.1% more for clothing
|
North Carolina
|
New Mexico
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.30
|
$48.30
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$37.76
|
$47.80
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$88.37
|
$92.18
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$111.01
|
$106.13
|
|
North Carolina vs. New Mexico - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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