Photo: John Phelan · CC BY-SA 3.0Measured against area pay, El Rancho costs less to live in than 66% of U.S. towns
Home prices around El Rancho have risen about 36% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Santa Fe, NM metro area ($79K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Santa Fe metro earn ($79K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.6 years of metro income, and 42% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,500a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 99prices across the Santa Fe metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 108)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$79K, Santa Fe-area income
- 16%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What’s behind El Rancho’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, El Rancho is more affordable than 66% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 36% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP code around El Rancho rose 36% over the past 5 years, slower than across New Mexico (50%). Last year prices fell 0.7%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical El Rancho home at roughly $301,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $301K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around El Rancho, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 3.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to El Rancho’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical El Rancho home, with $20K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,500 a month here, $230 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, El Rancho’s typical property tax (0.61% 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 $1,500
Renters already here pay a median of $1,070, 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 (Santa Fe, NM MSA): 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 $1,720 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.61% 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+”.
The rest of a budget near El Rancho
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Santa Fe, NM metro area, or New Mexico. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 99 | NM 92 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | NM 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 77 | NM 78 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | NM 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
El Rancho vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for El Rancho. San Ildefonso Pueblo has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
Cost next door · one source per column
| Town | Cost | Typical home Zillow, latest | Median value Census 2020–24 | Tax rate bill ÷ value | 2-bed rent HUD 2026 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| El Rancho | B+ | — | $281K | 0.61% | $1,500 |
| San Ildefonso Pueblo | – | — | $191K | 1.10% | $1,500 |
| Jaconita | – | — | $244K | 0.48% | $1,500 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in El Rancho
Is El Rancho expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, El Rancho costs less than 66% of U.S. towns: a B+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 3.6 years of the median household income of the Santa Fe, NM metro area ($79K).
How much is rent in El Rancho?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,500 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,070 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in El Rancho?
The median bill is $1,720 a year, 0.61% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What El Rancho buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.