Photo: AllenS · Public domainMeasured against area pay, Estancia costs less to live in than 98% of U.S. towns
Up 4.1% in a year, 36% 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 Albuquerque, NM metro area ($71K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 1 sale in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Albuquerque metro earn ($71K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.4 years of metro income, and 40% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $201Ktypical home, 36% below the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,200a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 96prices across the Albuquerque metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 89)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Albuquerque-area income
- 14%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 18%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Estancia
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Estancia home runs about $1,140 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200. Can I afford it? ↓
An older housing stock
Half of Estancia’s homes were built before 1959, against 1985 for New Mexico as a whole. Older homes can mean character, and also bigger heating and repair bills, so an inspection matters. Property taxes ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Estancia’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Estancia is more affordable than 98% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Up 4% in a year
Faster than New Mexico (1.7%).
Show as a table
| January | Estancia | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | $192,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $200,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $203,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $201,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Estancia home worth $192K in December 2023 is worth about $201K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.4 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Estancia’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Estancia home, with $90K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,200 a month here, $60 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Estancia’s typical property tax (0.55% 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 $1,200
Renters already here pay a median of $843, 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 (Albuquerque, 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 $540 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.55% 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 Estancia
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Albuquerque, 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 | 96 | NM 92 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | NM 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 78 | 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.
Estancia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Estancia | A+ | $201K | $99K | 0.55% | $1,200 |
Questions about the cost of living in Estancia
Is Estancia expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Estancia costs less than 98% of U.S. towns: an A+ for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.4 years of the median household income of the Albuquerque, NM metro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Estancia?
About $201K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 4.0% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Estancia?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $49,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,140 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $48,000.
How much is rent in Estancia?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,200 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $843 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Estancia?
The median bill is $540 a year, 0.55% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Estancia 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.