Photo: AllenS · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Artesia costs less to live in than 58% of U.S. towns
It ranks #30 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability. Up 4.2% in a year, 23% below the New Mexico typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Carlsbad-Artesia, NM micro area ($78K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Carlsbad-area micro earn ($78K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 2.9 years of area income, and 49% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $245Ktypical home, 23% below the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,090a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 2.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$78K, Carlsbad-area income
- 20%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 49%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Mexico: 50%Census 2020–24
- 21%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Artesia, in brief
Buyers have time and room to negotiate
At the pace homes sold in September, it would take about 7.5 months to sell everything listed (New Mexico: 4.6). The typical home took 29 days to sell and sold at 87% of asking. None sold above the asking price. How fast homes sell ↓
Values are about where they were five years ago
The typical Artesia home is up 1.5% in five years, against a gain of 25% across New Mexico. Over the ten years on the chart it’s up 14%, against 80% statewide. Price trend ↓
2026 has already passed 2025
Through August, Artesia had permitted 48 new homes in 2026, more than the 21 in all of 2025. New homes ↓
New building is almost all single-family houses
Of the 341 homes permitted in Artesia’s past 10 years, every one was a single-family house. New homes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; sales and supply are Redfin’s for September 2026; permits are Census figures through 2025; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Artesia’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Artesia is more affordable than 58% of U.S. towns, #30 of 72 in New Mexico. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged New Mexico: the typical Artesia home is up 1.5% in five years, against 25.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 1.5% in five years
Slower than New Mexico (25.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Artesia | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $216,000 | $177,000 |
| 2018 | $190,000 | $183,000 |
| 2019 | $196,000 | $191,000 |
| 2020 | $211,000 | $203,000 |
| 2021 | $233,000 | $228,000 |
| 2022 | $239,000 | $261,000 |
| 2023 | $235,000 | $285,000 |
| 2024 | $231,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $242,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $240,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $245,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Artesia home worth $215K in October 2016 is worth about $245K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
Too few sales to read the market
Only 9 homes sold in September 2026, the latest month in Redfin’s figures: too few to describe the market or quote a median sale price.
A typical home costs 2.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Artesia’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Artesia home, with $77K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,090 a month here, $290 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Artesia’s typical property tax (0.50% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,090
Renters already here pay a median of $1,288.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Eddy County, NM): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
21 new homes permitted in 2025
Builders were permitted 21 new homes in Artesia in 2025, all single-family houses, worth about $7.9 million to build. That's 1.7 per 1,000 residents, slower than across New Mexico (5.2). Over the past 10 years, Artesia has permitted 341 homes in all.
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Artesia gained 1,574 residents while 508 new homes were permitted: about 3.1 new residents per new home, more than across New Mexico (1.2): growth outpaced building.
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 (Jan–Aug) | 48 | 48 | 0 | $13.3 million |
| 2025 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $7.9 million |
| 2024 | 29 | 29 | 0 | $12.1 million |
| 2023 | 27 | 27 | 0 | $10.2 million |
| 2022 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $13.8 million |
| 2021 | 43 | 43 | 0 | $13.5 million |
| 2020 | 50 | 50 | 0 | $15.6 million |
| 2019 | 52 | 52 | 0 | $15.6 million |
| 2018 | 40 | 40 | 0 | $11.4 million |
| 2017 | 25 | 25 | 0 | $6.8 million |
| 2016 | 18 | 18 | 0 | $6.1 million |
| 2015 | 131 | 33 | 98 | $16.2 million |
| 2014 | 46 | 46 | 0 | $9.6 million |
| 2013 | 123 | 7 | 116 | $9.9 million |
| 2012 | 20 | 20 | 0 | $4.5 million |
| 2011 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2.7 million |
| 2010 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $7.1 million |
| 2009 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $6.7 million |
| 2008 | 76 | 76 | 0 | $13.4 million |
| 2007 | 81 | 77 | 4 | $10.8 million |
| 2006 | 37 | 37 | 0 | $7 million |
| 2005 | 46 | 46 | 0 | $8.7 million |
| 2004 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $2.1 million |
| 2003 | 12 | 12 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2002 | 13 | 13 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2001 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.1 million |
| 2000 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $745,000 |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the New Mexico norm
The median bill is $1,138 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.50% of a home’s value a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
Artesia and its neighbors
One source per column.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, September 2026 | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Artesia | B | $245K | $229K | 0.50% | $1,090 |
Questions about the cost of living in Artesia
Is Artesia expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Artesia costs less than 58% of U.S. towns: a B for cost of living, #30 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 2.9 years of the median household income of the Carlsbad-Artesia, NM micro area ($78K).
How much does a house cost in Artesia?
About $245K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.2% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Artesia?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $59,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,380 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $44,000.
How much is rent in Artesia?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,090 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,288 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Artesia?
The median bill is $1,138 a year, 0.50% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Artesia going up?
Yes: up 4.2% in the past year and 1.5% in five years, against 25.1% across New Mexico (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Artesia buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.