Living in Santa Fe, NM
Small city in New Mexico
Santa Fe is a small city in New Mexico, home to about 88,000 people, with 177,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, there is some transit, though many people drive. Life moves at a relaxed pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
In short: A high-desert art capital with a slow pace, adobe architecture and mountain trails. Suits remote work and retirement.
Is Santa Fe a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Dog-friendly: 17 dog parks within 9 mi
- Low natural disaster risk: 3 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Low taxes: about $1,191 state income tax per resident, 0.5% property tax
👎 Cons
- Smaller job market: about 177,000 people live within 31 mi
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Santa Fe ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Santa Fe: common questions
What is the cost of living in Santa Fe?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $581k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,120 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 99, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Santa Fe?
New Mexico collects about $1,191 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.5% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Santa Fe safe?
Santa Fe isn't in the FBI's 2019 city crime table, so Best Life Fit Me counts its safety as average.
What is the weather like in Santa Fe?
Santa Fe has cold winters: winter days average around 45°F and summer days around 84°F, with roughly 20″ of snow a year.
Does Santa Fe get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding, wildfires and earthquakes: 3 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.33 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Santa Fe?
The nearest major airport is ABQ, about 56 mi away.
How Santa Fe scores
Each bar compares Santa Fe with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Nearby
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Is Santa Fe right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.