Photo: afiler from Seattle (ex-Minneapolis) · CC BY-SA 2.0Measured against area pay, Gallup costs more to live in than 76% of U.S. towns
It ranks #60 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability. Down 2.1% in a year, 31% 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 Gallup, NM micro area ($48K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Gallup-area micro earn ($48K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.5 years of area income, and 48% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $217Ktypical home, 31% below the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,110a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$48K, Gallup-area income
- 23%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 48%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Mexico: 50%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Gallup’s housing numbers say
Buyers have time and room to negotiate
At the pace homes sold in September, it would take about 6.7 months to sell everything listed (New Mexico: 4.6). The typical home took 110 days to sell and sold at 92% of asking. None sold above the asking price. How fast homes sell ↓
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median tax bill is $1,696, under the New Mexico median of $1,731, because homes cost less. As a share of value, though, it’s 1.03% a year, against 0.70% statewide. On the typical home, that’s about $190 a month. Property taxes ↓
Values have lagged New Mexico
The typical Gallup home is up 6% in five years, against a gain of 25% across New Mexico. Over the ten years on the chart it’s up 42%, against 80% statewide. Price trend ↓
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 Gallup’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gallup is more affordable than 24% of U.S. towns, #60 of 72 in New Mexico. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged New Mexico: the typical Gallup home is up 6.0% in five years, against 25.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 6% in five years
Slower than New Mexico (25.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Gallup | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $150,000 | $177,000 |
| 2018 | $154,000 | $183,000 |
| 2019 | $167,000 | $191,000 |
| 2020 | $177,000 | $203,000 |
| 2021 | $194,000 | $228,000 |
| 2022 | $207,000 | $261,000 |
| 2023 | $206,000 | $285,000 |
| 2024 | $209,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $216,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $219,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $217,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Gallup home worth $153K in October 2016 is worth about $217K 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 7 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 year’s rent takes 23% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Gallup’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $33K short of a typical Gallup home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,110 a month here, $210 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Gallup’s typical property tax (1.03% 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 $1,110
Renters already here pay a median of $927, 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 (McKinley County, NM): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2025
No permits for new homes were issued in Gallup in 2025. The last year with any was 2024 (8 new homes).
Between the 2010 and 2020 censuses, Gallup gained 221 residents while 69 new homes were permitted: about 3.2 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) | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2025 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2024 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2023 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $350,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 | $175,000 |
| 2021 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $615,000 |
| 2020 | 13 | 4 | 9 | $1.9 million |
| 2019 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $375,000 |
| 2018 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $658,000 |
| 2017 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2016 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2014 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $1 million |
| 2013 | 9 | 9 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2012 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.3 million |
| 2011 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $495,000 |
| 2010 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $3.3 million |
| 2009 | 2 | 2 | 0 | $181,000 |
| 2008 | 77 | 5 | 72 | $5.7 million |
| 2007 | 61 | 31 | 30 | $9.2 million |
| 2006 | 38 | 38 | 0 | $5 million |
| 2005 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2004 | 21 | 21 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2003 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $3.1 million |
| 2002 | 80 | 28 | 52 | $5.5 million |
| 2001 | 15 | 15 | 0 | $1.9 million |
| 2000 | 144 | 29 | 115 | $11.6 million |
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Low tax bills, but a high tax rate
The median bill is $1,696, under the New Mexico median of $1,731, because homes cost less. As a share of value it’s 1.03% 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+”.
Gallup vs. its neighbors
Of the 1 towns here with a Zillow value, Gallup has the lowest. Sundance and Church Rock have no Zillow value, so they are in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gallup | C− | $217K | $165K | 1.03% | $1,110 |
| Church Rock | A | — | $39K | — | $1,100 |
| Sundance | – | — | $53K | — | $1,120 |
“—” 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 Gallup
Is Gallup expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Gallup costs more than 76% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #60 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 3.5 years of the median household income of the Gallup, NM micro area ($48K).
How much does a house cost in Gallup?
About $217K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 2.1% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Gallup?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $57,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,320 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 Gallup?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,110 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $927 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Gallup?
The median bill is $1,696 a year, 1.03% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Gallup going up?
No: down 2.1% in the past year and 6.0% in five years, against 25.1% across New Mexico (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Gallup 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.