SalaryCompareTool

Los Angeles, CA vs Albuquerque, NM

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

Los Angeles vs Albuquerque at a glance

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

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

To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Los Angeles, CA, you'd need about $81,593 in Albuquerque, NM (−$18,407).

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

What your home budget buys

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

Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)

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

Side by side

MetricLos Angeles, CAAlbuquerque, NM
Cost-of-living index114.793.6
Unemployment rate6.59%5.69%
Population growth (5-yr)-1.1%1.2%
Air quality (median AQI)8061
Big Mac price (est.)$6.53$5.33
Median home price$968,608$352,894
Home price ÷ income10.9×5.5×
1-yr home appreciation0.3%1.0%
Price per square foot$646$191
Median rent$2,909$1,502
Total tax burden (% income)13.5%10.2%
Combined sales tax8.82%7.78%
Capital gains tax13.30%5.90%
Property tax rate0.69%0.93%
Healthcare (annual)$7,200$6,400
Childcare (annual, infant)$19,000$10,000
Vehicle property tax0.65%None
Avg commute (min)3024
Home insurance / yr$1,500$1,900
Auto insurance / yr$2,400$1,600
Flood insurance / yr$750$550
Earthquake insurance / yr$950$100
Electricity ¢/kWh35.315.2
Gas $/gal4.853.20
Violent crime /100k500780
Avg summer high °F8492
Avg winter low °F4525
Permit difficulty (1–5)53

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