Rent Affordability for A Licensed Practical Nurse in New Mexico

A typical licensed practical nurse in New Mexico earns about $54,711 a year, which supports approximately $1,368 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. 3 of 17 cities tracked stay within the 30% rule; 14 are rent-burdened on this salary.

City↕Median rent↕% of income↑Affordability
Portales, NM$1,008/mo22.1%affordable
Roswell, NM$1,263/mo27.7%affordable
Clovis, NM$1,315/mo28.8%affordable
Silver City, NM$1,371/mo30.1%stretched
Las Cruces, NM$1,439/mo31.6%stretched
Albuquerque, NM$1,452/mo31.8%stretched
Hobbs, NM$1,484/mo32.5%stretched
Alamogordo, NM$1,533/mo33.6%stretched
Farmington, NM$1,535/mo33.7%stretched
Artesia, NM$1,550/mo34%stretched
Carlsbad, NM$1,596/mo35%stretched
Santa Teresa, NM$1,684/mo36.9%stretched
Ruidoso, NM$1,700/mo37.3%stretched
Rio Rancho, NM$1,867/mo40.9%rent-burdened
Santa Fe, NM$1,956/mo42.9%rent-burdened
Los Lunas, NM$2,040/mo44.7%rent-burdened
Los Alamos, NM$2,554/mo56%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).