Rent Affordability for A Bus Driver in New Mexico

A typical bus driver in New Mexico earns about $46,638 a year, which supports approximately $1,166 a month in rent under the 30% rule. Below, every tracked New Mexico city is ranked by how local rent compares against that affordability ceiling.

As of May 2026. 1 of 17 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 16 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Portales, NM$1,008/mo25.9%affordable
Roswell, NM$1,263/mo32.5%stretched
Clovis, NM$1,315/mo33.8%stretched
Silver City, NM$1,371/mo35.3%stretched
Las Cruces, NM$1,439/mo37%stretched
Albuquerque, NM$1,452/mo37.4%stretched
Hobbs, NM$1,484/mo38.2%stretched
Alamogordo, NM$1,533/mo39.4%stretched
Farmington, NM$1,535/mo39.5%stretched
Artesia, NM$1,550/mo39.9%stretched
Carlsbad, NM$1,596/mo41.1%rent-burdened
Santa Teresa, NM$1,684/mo43.3%rent-burdened
Ruidoso, NM$1,700/mo43.7%rent-burdened
Rio Rancho, NM$1,867/mo48%rent-burdened
Santa Fe, NM$1,956/mo50.3%severely rent-burdened
Los Lunas, NM$2,040/mo52.5%severely rent-burdened
Los Alamos, NM$2,554/mo65.7%severely rent-burdened
Methodology: Salary is the BLS-derived state estimate for New Mexico. Rent is the latest ZORI monthly value for each city. Affordability uses the 30% rule (rent ≤ 30% of gross income).