Photo: A person of sorts · CC BY 4.0Renting in Melrose: a two-bedroom costs about $970
Melrose is too small for a cost of living grade (TownRatings grades places of 1,000 or more).
Only 0 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
What kind of housing town is Melrose?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
Why Melrose isn’t graded
The grade needs at least two of four Census figures: home value, rent, property tax and the share of households paying 30% or more for housing.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970
Renters already here pay a median of $833, 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 (Curry County, NM): 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 $215 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.27% 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+”.
Melrose and its neighbors
One source per column.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Melrose | – | — | $79K | 0.27% | $970 |
“—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents). “—” 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 Melrose
How much is rent in Melrose?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $833 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Melrose?
The median bill is $215 a year, 0.27% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Why doesn’t Melrose have a cost of living grade?
Melrose is too small for a cost of living grade (TownRatings grades places of 1,000 or more).
Neighbors talk housing
What Melrose 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. 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.