Can A Nursing Assistant Afford Rent in Portales, NM?
Comfortably affordable — rent takes 29% of gross income.
Portales rent: June 2026. Salary: BLS OEWS May 2024 (New Mexico state estimate).
About rent and a nursing assistant salary
Nursing assistant (CNA) pay falls below the rent threshold for a one-bedroom in nearly every US metro, which is the central tension behind the widely studied direct-care workforce affordability gap. At the national-average CNA salary, the 30% rule supports about $990 a month in rent — below median rent in most cities. The per-city pages quantify how far below.
Compare with full rent data for Portales
View full rent data for Portales, NM →Frequently asked questions
Can a nursing assistant afford rent in Portales, NM?
Median rent in Portales is $862 a month. A typical nursing assistant in New Mexico earns about $35,649 a year, which makes that rent 29% of gross monthly income. Under the 30% rule, the answer is yes.
How much rent can a nursing assistant afford in Portales?
Using the 30% rule, a nursing assistant salary in New Mexico (~$35,649/yr) supports up to $891 a month in rent. Portales's current median rent is $862/mo, which leaves a $29/mo buffer.
How many hours does a nursing assistant work to cover rent in Portales?
At an hourly equivalent of about $17 an hour, a nursing assistant in New Mexico works roughly 50.3 hours a month to cover Portales's median rent of $862.