Measured against area pay, Lee Acres costs more to live in than 59% of U.S. towns
It ranks #47 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability. Home prices around Lee Acres have risen about 54% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Farmington, NM metro area ($56K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales 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 Farmington metro earn ($56K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 3.4 years of metro income, and 62% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $1,110a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 88prices across the Farmington metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 57)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 3.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$56K, Farmington-area income
- 23%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 62%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Mexico: 50%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What stands out about housing in Lee Acres
What’s behind Lee Acres’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lee Acres is more affordable than 41% of U.S. towns, #47 of 72 in New Mexico. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Home prices up 54% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Lee Acres rose 54% over the past 5 years, faster than across New Mexico (50%). Last year prices rose 6.3%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Lee Acres home at roughly $236,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $236K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Lee Acres, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A year’s rent takes 23% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Lee Acres’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $12K short of a typical Lee Acres home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,110 a month here, $270 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Lee Acres’s typical property tax (0.69% 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 $1,077.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Farmington, 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 $1,289 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.69% 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 Lee Acres
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Farmington, 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 | 88 | 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.
Lee Acres vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Lee Acres. West Hammond and Crouch Mesa have no Zillow value, so they are 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lee Acres | C+ | — | $187K | 0.69% | $1,110 |
| West Hammond | C− | — | $209K | 0.63% | $1,020 |
| Crouch Mesa | A− | — | $89K | 0.79% | $1,120 |
| Bloomfield | C+ | $256K | $161K | 0.75% | $1,020 |
| Farmington | C | $283K | $233K | 0.61% | $1,180 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures.
Questions about the cost of living in Lee Acres
Is Lee Acres expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Lee Acres costs more than 59% of U.S. towns: a C+ for cost of living, #47 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 3.4 years of the median household income of the Farmington, NM metro area ($56K).
How much is rent in Lee Acres?
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 $1,077 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Lee Acres?
The median bill is $1,289 a year, 0.69% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Lee Acres buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. 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.