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Albuquerque, NM vs Los Angeles, CA

Moving from Albuquerque to Los Angeles? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($352,894 → $968,608 median home) and taxes.

Albuquerque vs Los Angeles at a glance

Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.

Albuquerque, NM Los Angeles, CA Cost-of-living index Albuquerque, NM — Cost-of-living index: 94 94 Los Angeles, CA — Cost-of-living index: 115 115 Median home price Albuquerque, NM — Median home price: $353k $353k Los Angeles, CA — Median home price: $969k $969k Price per sqft Albuquerque, NM — Price per sqft: $191 $191 Los Angeles, CA — Price per sqft: $646 $646 Median rent Albuquerque, NM — Median rent: $1,502 $1,502 Los Angeles, CA — Median rent: $2,909 $2,909 Combined sales tax Albuquerque, NM — Combined sales tax: 7.8% 7.8% Los Angeles, CA — Combined sales tax: 8.8% 8.8% Property tax rate Albuquerque, NM — Property tax rate: 0.93% 0.93% Los Angeles, CA — Property tax rate: 0.69% 0.69% Violent crime /100k Albuquerque, NM — Violent crime /100k: 780 780 Los Angeles, CA — Violent crime /100k: 500 500 Electricity ¢/kWh Albuquerque, NM — Electricity ¢/kWh: 15.2 15.2 Los Angeles, CA — Electricity ¢/kWh: 35.3 35.3 Avg commute (min) Albuquerque, NM — Avg commute (min): 24 24 Los Angeles, CA — Avg commute (min): 30 30 Avg summer high °F Albuquerque, NM — Avg summer high °F: 92° 92° Los Angeles, CA — Avg summer high °F: 84° 84° Avg winter low °F Albuquerque, NM — Avg winter low °F: 25° 25° Los Angeles, CA — Avg winter low °F: 45° 45°

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Albuquerque, NM, you'd need about $122,560 in Los Angeles, CA (+$22,560).

Livability — Albuquerque, NM: 60 · Los Angeles, CA: 42 (0–100).

What your home budget buys

A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,621 sqft in Albuquerque vs 774 sqft in Los Angeles ($191 vs $646 per sqft).

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

CategoryAlbuquerque, NMLos Angeles, CADifference
Housing $18,024 $34,908 +$16,884
Groceries $4,871 $5,354 +$483
Transportation $3,260 $5,125 +$1,865
Utilities $1,632 $3,804 +$2,172
Insurance $1,900 $1,500 −$400
Taxes $10,881 $21,708 +$10,827
Total $40,568 $72,399 +$31,831

Side by side

MetricAlbuquerque, NMLos Angeles, CA
Cost-of-living index93.6114.7
Unemployment rate5.69%6.59%
Population growth (5-yr)1.2%-1.1%
Air quality (median AQI)6180
Big Mac price (est.)$5.33$6.53
Median home price$352,894$968,608
Home price ÷ income5.5×10.9×
1-yr home appreciation1.0%0.3%
Price per square foot$191$646
Median rent$1,502$2,909
Total tax burden (% income)10.2%13.5%
Combined sales tax7.78%8.82%
Capital gains tax5.90%13.30%
Property tax rate0.93%0.69%
Healthcare (annual)$6,400$7,200
Childcare (annual, infant)$10,000$19,000
Vehicle property taxNone0.65%
Avg commute (min)2430
Home insurance / yr$1,900$1,500
Auto insurance / yr$1,600$2,400
Flood insurance / yr$550$750
Earthquake insurance / yr$100$950
Electricity ¢/kWh15.235.3
Gas $/gal3.204.85
Violent crime /100k780500
Avg summer high °F9284
Avg winter low °F2545
Permit difficulty (1–5)35
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