Moving to Texas from New Mexico
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New Mexico to Texas — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New Mexico to Texas, you would find that Texas is 4.4% more expensive than New Mexico. A $75,000 salary in New Mexico would need to be roughly $73,395 in Texas to maintain the same lifestyle. Expect a noticeable climate shift — Austin averages 79°F vs 64°F in Santa Fe, making it significantly warmer.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from New Mexico to Texas.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $73,395
To maintain the same standard of living in Texas
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 5.4% more
Groceries
pay 7.5% less
Transportation
pay 27.0% more
Housing
pay 9.2% more
Childcare
pay 0.7% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 5.2% less
Data: MyLifeElsewhere's crowdsourced cost of living database, with prices submitted and updated by users worldwide. Exchange rates are refreshed regularly from public sources.
Key Indicator Comparison
How New Mexico and Texas stack up on safety, healthcare, jobs, and infrastructure.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Texas performs significantly 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
New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New Mexico performs better than Texas across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
New Mexico generally does better on infrastructure, though Texas leads in internet access.
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
Texas performs significantly 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
New Mexico generally does better on family life, though Texas leads in life expectancy.
Data: Bureau of Economic Analysis, Bureau of Labor Statistics, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (PLACES), FBI Uniform Crime Reporting, OECD Regional Demography, US Census Bureau (American Community Survey)
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Santa Fe | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/22°F (9°/-5°C) | 65°/40°F (18°/5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/43°F (23°/6°C) | 85°/63°F (29°/17°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/53°F (28°/12°C) | 93°/70°F (34°/21°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/28°F (12°/-2°C) | 71°/47°F (22°/8°C) |
View all months
| Month | Santa Fe | Austin |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°/19°F (5.9°/-7.4°C) | 61°/37°F (15.9°/2.9°C) |
| Feb | 47°/21°F (8.3°/-6.2°C) | 64°/39°F (17.6°/3.8°C) |
| Mar | 54°/27°F (12.3°/-2.6°C) | 71°/45°F (21.6°/7.4°C) |
| Apr | 63°/33°F (17.4°/0.6°C) | 79°/55°F (25.9°/12.8°C) |
| May | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.3°C) | 85°/64°F (29.7°/17.7°C) |
| Jun | 83°/52°F (28.3°/11.2°C) | 91°/70°F (32.8°/21.0°C) |
| Jul | 85°/56°F (29.6°/13.4°C) | 94°/72°F (34.7°/22.3°C) |
| Aug | 83°/55°F (28.1°/12.8°C) | 96°/72°F (35.4°/22.1°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (25.1°/9.1°C) | 90°/67°F (32.3°/19.2°C) |
| Oct | 65°/38°F (18.6°/3.1°C) | 81°/57°F (27.3°/13.7°C) |
| Nov | 53°/28°F (11.6°/-2.5°C) | 71°/47°F (21.4°/8.4°C) |
| Dec | 43°/19°F (6.2°/-7.4°C) | 62°/38°F (16.5°/3.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Texas than New Mexico?
Headline costs are within a few percent between Texas and New Mexico; rent and dining are where you'll actually feel differences.
How much money do I need to move to Texas?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $18,349 in Texas for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Texas safe?
Texas performs significantly better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Texas compared to New Mexico?
New Mexico generally does better on health & wellbeing, though Texas leads in adult smoking rate.
What's the weather like in Texas compared to New Mexico?
The average high temperature in Austin is 79°F, compared to 64°F in Santa Fe. Austin receives around 36.2 in of rainfall per year, while Santa Fe gets 15.7 in.
