Moving to New Mexico from Washington
What to Expect
A comprehensive look at what changes when you move from Washington to New Mexico — from daily expenses to quality of life.
If you moved from Washington to New Mexico, you would find that New Mexico is 12.5% cheaper than Washington. A $75,000 salary in Washington would need to be roughly $66,075 in New Mexico to maintain the same lifestyle.
How Far Will Your Money Go?
How your spending power changes when you relocate from Washington to New Mexico.
What does your salary buy?
$75,000 → $66,075
To maintain the same standard of living in New Mexico
Calculate with your salary →The biggest cost differences at a glance
Restaurants
pay 11.1% less
Groceries
pay 5.1% less
Transportation
pay 24.0% less
Housing
pay 16.1% less
Childcare
pay 25.6% less
Entertainment and Sports
pay 8.7% 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 Washington and New Mexico 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 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 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 significantly better than Washington across all what about housing? metrics.
Will I have good infrastructure?
share of households with internet
minutes each way to work
Washington 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
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 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 | Olympia | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan–Mar | 50°/34°F (10°/1°C) | 48°/22°F (9°/-5°C) |
| Apr–Jun | 65°/43°F (18°/6°C) | 73°/43°F (23°/6°C) |
| Jul–Sep | 76°/49°F (24°/10°C) | 82°/53°F (28°/12°C) |
| Oct–Dec | 51°/36°F (11°/2°C) | 54°/28°F (12°/-2°C) |
View all months
| Month | Olympia | Santa Fe |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 46°/34°F (7.7°/0.9°C) | 43°/19°F (5.9°/-7.4°C) |
| Feb | 49°/33°F (9.6°/0.4°C) | 47°/21°F (8.3°/-6.2°C) |
| Mar | 54°/35°F (12.2°/1.7°C) | 54°/27°F (12.3°/-2.6°C) |
| Apr | 59°/38°F (14.9°/3.2°C) | 63°/33°F (17.4°/0.6°C) |
| May | 65°/43°F (18.5°/6.2°C) | 73°/43°F (22.6°/6.3°C) |
| Jun | 71°/48°F (21.4°/8.7°C) | 83°/52°F (28.3°/11.2°C) |
| Jul | 77°/51°F (24.9°/10.4°C) | 85°/56°F (29.6°/13.4°C) |
| Aug | 78°/51°F (25.4°/10.3°C) | 83°/55°F (28.1°/12.8°C) |
| Sep | 72°/46°F (22.1°/7.8°C) | 77°/48°F (25.1°/9.1°C) |
| Oct | 60°/40°F (15.7°/4.7°C) | 65°/38°F (18.6°/3.1°C) |
| Nov | 50°/36°F (10.1°/2.4°C) | 53°/28°F (11.6°/-2.5°C) |
| Dec | 44°/33°F (6.8°/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 Washington?
Generally yes: New Mexico runs about 12% cheaper than Washington on average, though it depends heavily on the city.
How much money do I need to move to New Mexico?
A safe rule of thumb is 3 months of local expenses plus relocation costs. On a $75,000 comparable salary, that's around $16,519 in New Mexico for everyday spending, before movers, a truck rental, and a rental deposit.
Is New Mexico safe?
Washington performs better than New Mexico across all safety metrics.
How is healthcare in New Mexico compared to Washington?
Washington performs better than New Mexico across all health & wellbeing metrics.
What's the weather like in New Mexico compared to Washington?
The average high temperature in Santa Fe is 64°F, compared to 60°F in Olympia. Santa Fe receives around 15.7 in of rainfall per year, while Olympia gets 50.0 in.
