Bayo Road · Photo: Clyde Charles Brown · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Los Alamos costs less to live in than 92% of U.S. towns
It ranks #4 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability. Down 0.7% in a year, 83% above the New Mexico typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Los Alamos, NM micro area ($147K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Los Alamos-area micro earn ($147K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 3.4 years of area income, and 30% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $579Ktypical home, 83% above the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,730a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 3.4 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$147K, Los Alamos-area income
- 11%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 30%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Mexico: 50%Census 2020–24
- 7%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
The short version on homes in Los Alamos
Most homes are under contract within two weeks
In September, 34% of the homes that sold went for more than the asking price and 62% went under contract within two weeks. There were about 1.7 months of homes for sale at that pace, against 4.6 across New Mexico: 32 listings for 19 sales that month. Expect competition on well-priced homes. How fast homes sell ↓
Rent is easier on renters here
30% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 50% across New Mexico. A standard two-bedroom is 15% of the median household income. Renting ↓
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; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Los Alamos’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Los Alamos is more affordable than 92% of U.S. towns, #4 of 72 in New Mexico. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with New Mexico: up 25.9% in five years, against 25.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 25.9% in five years
About the same pace as New Mexico (25.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Los Alamos | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $271,000 | $177,000 |
| 2018 | $311,000 | $183,000 |
| 2019 | $339,000 | $191,000 |
| 2020 | $375,000 | $203,000 |
| 2021 | $433,000 | $228,000 |
| 2022 | $467,000 | $261,000 |
| 2023 | $496,000 | $285,000 |
| 2024 | $537,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $580,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $577,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $579,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Los Alamos home worth $264K in October 2016 is worth about $579K 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 19 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 11% of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Los Alamos’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Los Alamos home, with $22K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,730 a month here, $1,570 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Los Alamos’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 $1,730
Renters already here pay a median of $1,359, 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.
High tax bills, but a low tax rate
The median bill is $2,749 (New Mexico: $1,731), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.55% 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+”.
Los Alamos 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Alamos | A | $579K | $502K | 0.55% | $1,730 |
Questions about the cost of living in Los Alamos
Is Los Alamos expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Los Alamos costs less than 92% of U.S. towns: an A for cost of living, #4 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 3.4 years of the median household income of the Los Alamos, NM micro area ($147K).
How much does a house cost in Los Alamos?
About $579K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 0.7% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Los Alamos?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $142,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,300 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $69,000.
How much is rent in Los Alamos?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,730 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,359 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Los Alamos?
The median bill is $2,749 a year, 0.55% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Los Alamos going up?
No: down 0.7% in the past year and 25.9% in five years, against 25.1% across New Mexico (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Los Alamos 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.