Foster Hotel · Photo: MRobison · CC BY-SA 3.0Renting in Chama: a two-bedroom costs about $970
Chama is too small for a cost of living grade (TownRatings grades places of 1,000 or more).
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
Why Chama isn’t graded
The grade needs at least two of four Census figures: home value, rent, property tax and the share of households paying 30% or more for housing.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970
Renters already here pay a median of $570, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Rio Arriba County, NM): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the New Mexico norm
The median bill is $1,006 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.53% 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+”.
Chama 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chama | – | $314K | $189K | 0.53% | $970 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Chama
How much is rent in Chama?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $570 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Chama?
The median bill is $1,006 a year, 0.53% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Why doesn’t Chama have a cost of living grade?
Chama is too small for a cost of living grade (TownRatings grades places of 1,000 or more).
Neighbors talk housing
What Chama 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. 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.