Moving to New Mexico from Iowa
What to Expect
Everything you need to know before relocating from Iowa to New Mexico — costs, safety, healthcare, and practical first steps.
If you moved from Iowa to New Mexico, you would find that New Mexico is 12.6% more expensive than Iowa. A $75,000 salary in Iowa would need to be roughly $84,400 in New Mexico to maintain the same lifestyle. Des Moines and Albuquerque are about 840 mi apart.
Is New Mexico cheaper than Iowa?
Where you'll feel the difference day-to-day
Restaurants
pay 4.1% less
Groceries
pay 13.0% more
Transportation
pay 6.1% less
Housing
pay 34.3% more
Childcare
pay 11.1% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 0.2% more
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
What salary do you need in New Mexico?
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $84,400
To maintain the same standard of living in New Mexico
Calculate with your salary →Key Indicator Comparison
Key indicators for anyone considering a move from Iowa to New Mexico.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Iowa performs better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How's the healthcare?
share of people without health insurance
share of adults with obesity
share of adults with diabetes
share of adults who smoke
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Mexico leads in adult obesity rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
Iowa performs better than New Mexico across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Iowa performs better than New Mexico across all infrastructure metrics.
What are the job prospects?
percentage of the labour force without work
a broad measure of economic output per person
typical annual income of a household
share of people below the poverty line
Iowa performs better than New Mexico across all employment & economy metrics.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Iowa generally does better on family life, though New Mexico leads in bachelor's degree or higher.
Sources: US Census Bureau (American Community Survey) (2023), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES) (2022), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (2023), Bureau of Labor Statistics (2025), Bureau of Economic Analysis (2024), OECD Regional Demography (2020). How we calculate this
Weather in New Mexico vs Iowa
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Des Moines | Albuquerque |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 39°/21°F (4°/-6°C) | 53°/31°F (12°/-1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 72°/52°F (22°/11°C) | 79°/53°F (26°/11°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/62°F (28°/17°C) | 86°/63°F (30°/17°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 48°/31°F (9°/-1°C) | 57°/35°F (14°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Des Moines | Albuquerque |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 31°/14°F (-0.6°/-9.8°C) | 47°/26°F (8.2°/-3.3°C) |
| Feb | 36°/19°F (2.3°/-7.3°C) | 53°/30°F (11.4°/-0.9°C) |
| Mar | 49°/30°F (9.4°/-1.3°C) | 60°/36°F (15.8°/2.1°C) |
| Apr | 62°/41°F (16.8°/5.1°C) | 69°/43°F (20.6°/6.1°C) |
| May | 72°/52°F (22.4°/11.2°C) | 79°/53°F (26.0°/11.4°C) |
| Jun | 82°/62°F (27.6°/16.7°C) | 88°/62°F (31.3°/16.4°C) |
| Jul | 86°/67°F (29.8°/19.3°C) | 90°/66°F (32.3°/19.1°C) |
| Aug | 84°/65°F (28.8°/18.2°C) | 87°/65°F (30.7°/18.4°C) |
| Sep | 76°/55°F (24.5°/12.9°C) | 81°/58°F (27.1°/14.4°C) |
| Oct | 63°/43°F (17.3°/6.1°C) | 69°/46°F (20.6°/7.8°C) |
| Nov | 48°/31°F (8.8°/-0.8°C) | 56°/34°F (13.2°/1.2°C) |
| Dec | 34°/18°F (1.1°/-7.8°C) | 46°/26°F (7.8°/-3.1°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New Mexico than Iowa?
No — New Mexico is on average about 13% more expensive than Iowa. City-level variation matters.
How much money do I need to move to New Mexico?
Plan for at least 3 months of living expenses — roughly $21,100 in New Mexico on a $75,000 comparable salary — plus one-off moving costs (movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit).
Is New Mexico safe?
Iowa performs better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New Mexico compared to Iowa?
Iowa generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Mexico leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in New Mexico compared to Iowa?
The average high temperature in Albuquerque is 69°F, compared to 60°F in Des Moines. Albuquerque receives around 9.4 in of rainfall per year, while Des Moines gets 36.0 in.
