Overall
95.5
Below avg
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Albuquerque, NM
Cost-of-living indicators for Albuquerque, NM, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 95.5
- Overall RPP
- #155
- of 387 metros
- 89.2
- Rents RPP
- $105K
- $100K national buys
Albuquerque ranks #155 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood
The verdict
Albuquerque costs less than 40% of U.S. metros, an overall index of 95.5, 4.5% below the national average, with services the biggest swing at 77.9.
- bottom 60%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 96.1
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 77.9
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $104,662 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $95,546.
Service-cost relief profile
How Albuquerque's cost structure works
Services provide the strongest cost offset in Albuquerque: their index is 77.9, farther below the national baseline than rents or tradable goods. The overall RPP of 95.5 therefore has a different source than a place with cheaper housing instead.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Cheyenne, WY, Logan, UT-ID, Omaha, NE-IA. They resemble Albuquerque across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Albuquerque's overall index has stayed within 1.4 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Albuquerque vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
96 Top 40% higher than 60% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Albuquerque cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
89.2 RPP
- Services
Services
77.9 RPP
- Overall
Overall
95.5 RPP
- Goods
Goods
96.1 RPP
What this shows Albuquerque's strongest departure is services at 77.9; rents follows at 89.2. Labor-priced local activity, rather than housing alone, is the first budget line to investigate.
Goods vs. housing, where Albuquerque's cost comes from
Metros near Albuquerque's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Albuquerque (Albuquerque, this metro): goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 89.2
- Grand Rapids: goods RPP 93.7, rents RPP 86.6
- Yakima: goods RPP 105, rents RPP 72.6
- Grand Junction: goods RPP 96.1, rents RPP 86.4
- Salisbury: goods RPP 96.6, rents RPP 87.2
- Columbus: goods RPP 93.6, rents RPP 87.9
- Helena: goods RPP 96, rents RPP 90.1
Price Index Summary
Goods
96.1
Below avg
Services
77.9
Cheap
Rents
89.2
Cheap
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 1.4 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2018, when the index dropped 4.2 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Albuquerque overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 97.0 |
| 2009 | 99.0 |
| 2010 | 97.4 |
| 2011 | 100.4 |
| 2012 | 99.6 |
| 2013 | 98.3 |
| 2014 | 98.5 |
| 2015 | 96.8 |
| 2016 | 96.6 |
| 2017 | 98.1 |
| 2018 | 93.9 |
| 2019 | 95.1 |
| 2020 | 94.2 |
| 2021 | 92.1 |
| 2022 | 93.4 |
| 2023 | 93.6 |
| 2024 | 95.5 |
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Albuquerque's overall RPP rose +1.9 points, from 93.6 in 2023 to 95.5 in 2024. The largest category movement was overall cost, changing from 93.6 to 95.5. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$95,546
in Albuquerque, NM purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$47,773
$75,000 nationally
$71,660
$125,000 nationally
$119,433
$150,000 nationally
$143,319
$200,000 nationally
$191,092
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
D
36/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability D
36th percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Albuquerque's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Cheyenne, WY
Goods 95.4 · Services 78.0 · Rents 89.8 Logan, UT-ID
Goods 96.4 · Services 77.9 · Rents 91.0 Omaha, NE-IA
Goods 94.1 · Services 76.4 · Rents 86.4 Helena, MT
Goods 96.0 · Services 72.6 · Rents 90.1 Daphne-Fairhope-Foley, AL
Goods 96.4 · Services 83.3 · Rents 89.2 Lincoln, NE
Goods 94.1 · Services 76.8 · Rents 84.2
NM-relative analysis
Goods prices places Albuquerque, NM near the bottom of NM's metros
Among the 4 NM metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Albuquerque, NM ranks #1 - the 0th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Albuquerque, NM only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#1 of 4
0th percentile in NM
Services prices
#3 of 4
25th percentile in NM
Rent prices
#2 of 4
50th percentile in NM
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within NM only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Albuquerque, NM: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (95.5 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (89.2 here).
Other NM Metros
View all NM metros → Cheapest in NM → Most expensive in NM →
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Albuquerque, NM's index of 95.5.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
Shareable data card
Take this cost snapshot with you
Download the data card or share this exact metro record. The card uses the same BEA-derived values shown above.
What this means for Albuquerque
How to read Albuquerque's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $104,662 in Albuquerque. Salary calculator
- Start with services: it indexes at 77.9, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Albuquerque head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Albuquerque, NM?
Albuquerque, NM has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 95.5, meaning it is 4.5% less expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 96.1, services at 77.9, and rents at 89.2. It ranks #155 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Albuquerque, NM to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $95,546 in Albuquerque, NM. Conversely, $100K earned in Albuquerque, NM has the purchasing power of $104,662 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Albuquerque, NM?
Rents in Albuquerque, NM are indexed at 89.2, which is 10.8% below the national average. This makes the area relatively affordable for renters.
Is Albuquerque, NM getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Albuquerque, NM's overall cost index changed by -1.4 points (from 97.0 to 95.5). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Albuquerque, NM?
The priciest category in Albuquerque, NM is goods at 96.1, 3.9% below the national average, still the highest of the three categories. The most affordable category is services at 77.9, 22.1% below average.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Albuquerque, NM?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, Yakima, Grand Junction. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Albuquerque, NM's 95.5.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.