Moving to Washington from New Mexico
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from New Mexico to Washington — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from New Mexico to Washington, you would find that Washington is 17.9% more expensive than New Mexico. A $75,000 salary in New Mexico would need to be roughly $85,130 in Washington to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from New Mexico to Washington.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $85,130
To maintain the same standard of living in Washington
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 12.6% more
Groceries
pay 7.0% more
Transportation
pay 42.5% more
Housing
pay 19.9% more
Childcare
pay 34.4% more
Entertainment and Sports
pay 11.6% 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.
Key Indicator Comparison
How New Mexico and Washington 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
Washington 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
Washington performs significantly better than New Mexico across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What about housing?
typical price of a home
typical monthly gross rent
share of homes that are owner-occupied
New Mexico performs better than Washington 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 Washington 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
Washington generally does better on employment & economy, though New Mexico leads in unemployment rate.
Is it good for families?
average years of life at birth
share of adults with a 4-year college degree
Washington performs significantly better than New Mexico across all family life metrics.
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 | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 48°/22°F (9°/-5°C) | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 73°/43°F (23°/6°C) | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 82°/53°F (28°/12°C) | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 54°/28°F (12°/-2°C) | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Santa Fe | Olympia |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 43°/19°F (5.9°/-7.4°C) | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) |
| Feb | 47°/21°F (8.3°/-6.2°C) | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) |
| Mar | 54°/27°F (12.3°/-2.6°C) | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) |
| Apr | 63°/33°F (17.4°/0.6°C) | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) |
| May | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.3°C) | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) |
| Jun | 83°/52°F (28.3°/11.2°C) | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) |
| Jul | 85°/56°F (29.6°/13.4°C) | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) |
| Aug | 83°/55°F (28.1°/12.8°C) | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) |
| Sep | 77°/48°F (25.1°/9.1°C) | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) |
| Oct | 65°/38°F (18.6°/3.1°C) | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) |
| Nov | 53°/28°F (11.6°/-2.5°C) | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) |
| Dec | 43°/19°F (6.2°/-7.4°C) | 44°/33°F (6.8°/0.3°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in Washington than New Mexico?
Day-to-day costs in Washington run about 14% higher than New Mexico on average; specific cities can swing further.
How much money do I need to move to Washington?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $21,282 in Washington for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is Washington safe?
Washington performs significantly better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in Washington compared to New Mexico?
Washington performs significantly better than New Mexico across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in Washington compared to New Mexico?
The average high temperature in Olympia is 60°F, compared to 64°F in Santa Fe. Olympia receives around 50.0 in of rainfall per year, while Santa Fe gets 15.7 in.
