Moving to New Mexico from Virginia
What to Expect
Considering a move from Virginia to New Mexico? Here's how the two compare on cost, climate, safety, and more.
If you moved from Virginia to New Mexico, you would find that New Mexico is 13.8% cheaper than Virginia. A $75,000 salary in Virginia would need to be roughly $64,700 in New Mexico to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
A breakdown of how everyday costs differ between Virginia and New Mexico.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $64,700
To maintain the same standard of living in New Mexico
Calculate with your salary →How key spending categories compare
Restaurants
pay 16.2% less
Groceries
pay 11.1% less
Transportation
pay 24.8% less
Housing
pay 8.3% less
Childcare
pay 32.7% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 6.9% 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
The numbers behind daily life in New Mexico compared to Virginia.
Is it safe?
incidents per 100,000 people per year
incidents per 100,000 people per year
Virginia 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
Virginia 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
New Mexico performs significantly better than Virginia across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Virginia generally does better on infrastructure, though New Mexico leads in average commute.
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
Virginia 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
Virginia performs better than New Mexico across all family life metrics.
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
What's the Climate Like?
Monthly averages — select a city to compare.
Avg. annual high / low
Avg. annual high / low
| Months | Richmond | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 53°/32°F (12°/0°C) | 48°/22°F (9°/-5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 78°/55°F (26°/13°C) | 73°/43°F (23°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 86°/65°F (30°/19°C) | 82°/53°F (28°/12°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 61°/39°F (16°/4°C) | 54°/28°F (12°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Richmond | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 47°/28°F (8.6°/-2.1°C) | 43°/19°F (5.9°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 51°/31°F (10.7°/-0.8°C) | 47°/21°F (8.3°/-6.2°C) |
| Mar | 60°/37°F (15.6°/2.8°C) | 54°/27°F (12.3°/-2.6°C) |
| Apr | 70°/46°F (21.3°/7.8°C) | 63°/33°F (17.4°/0.6°C) |
| May | 78°/55°F (25.5°/12.8°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.3°C) |
| Jun | 86°/65°F (30.1°/18.1°C) | 83°/52°F (28.3°/11.2°C) |
| Jul | 90°/69°F (32.1°/20.5°C) | 85°/56°F (29.6°/13.4°C) |
| Aug | 88°/67°F (30.9°/19.7°C) | 83°/55°F (28.1°/12.8°C) |
| Sep | 81°/60°F (27.3°/15.6°C) | 77°/48°F (25.1°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 71°/48°F (21.7°/9.1°C) | 65°/38°F (18.6°/3.1°C) |
| Nov | 61°/39°F (16.3°/4.1°C) | 53°/28°F (11.6°/-2.5°C) |
| Dec | 51°/31°F (10.4°/-0.3°C) | 43°/19°F (6.2°/-7.4°C) |
Data:
National Weather Service
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it cheaper to live in New Mexico than Virginia?
On average New Mexico is about 14% less expensive than Virginia, with major cities narrowing the gap.
How much money do I need to move to New Mexico?
Budget about $16,175 for 3 months in New Mexico (based on a $75,000 comparable annual salary), then add the one-off costs: movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New Mexico safe?
Virginia performs better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New Mexico compared to Virginia?
Virginia generally does better on health & wellbeing, though New Mexico leads in adult obesity rate.
What's the weather like in New Mexico compared to Virginia?
The average high temperature in Santa Fe is 64°F, compared to 70°F in Richmond. Santa Fe receives around 15.7 in of rainfall per year, while Richmond gets 43.6 in.
