Photo: AllenS · Public domainHomes in Moriarty cost about 1.5 years of local pay, but renters are stretched more than prices suggest
More affordable than 83% of U.S. towns. Up 2.5% in a year, 28% 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 3 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
In dollars, homes in Moriarty cost less than the New Mexico typical home. But the grade compares costs with what households in the area earn, and Albuquerque-area incomes are lower too ($71K, against $74K for the typical U.S. town). Property tax takes 0.67% of a home’s value a year (New Mexico: 0.70%), and 64% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $227Ktypical home, 28% below the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,470a 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
- 1.5 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Albuquerque-area income
- 13%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 64%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Mexico: 50%Census 2020–24
- 45%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Moriarty’s housing numbers say
New renters pay more than renters already here
HUD puts a standard two-bedroom at about $1,470 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already in Moriarty pay a median of $743. Renting ↓
Owning can cost less than renting
With 20% down at the calculator’s rate, the typical Moriarty home runs about $1,320 a month with tax and insurance. A two-bedroom rents for about $1,470. The hurdle is getting in: the down payment, and a budget at the median income that falls short of the typical home. Can I afford it? ↓
Values have lagged New Mexico
The typical Moriarty home is up 8.5% in five years, against a gain of 25% across New Mexico. Over the ten years on the chart it’s up 47%, against 80% statewide. Price trend ↓
Written from the data on this page. Home values are the Zillow Home Value Index, through September 2026; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Moriarty’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Moriarty is more affordable than 83% of U.S. towns. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged New Mexico: the typical Moriarty home is up 8.5% in five years, against 25.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 8.5% in five years
Slower than New Mexico (25.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Moriarty | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $150,000 | $177,000 |
| 2018 | $153,000 | $183,000 |
| 2019 | $167,000 | $191,000 |
| 2020 | $179,000 | $203,000 |
| 2021 | $198,000 | $228,000 |
| 2022 | $223,000 | $261,000 |
| 2023 | $236,000 | $285,000 |
| 2024 | $218,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $222,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $225,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $227,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Moriarty home worth $154K in October 2016 is worth about $227K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.5 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Moriarty’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Moriarty home, with $59K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,470 a month here, $150 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Moriarty’s typical property tax (0.67% 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 $1,470
Renters already here pay a median of $743, 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 $722 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.67% 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 Moriarty
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.
Moriarty 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moriarty | A− | $227K | $109K | 0.67% | $1,470 |
Questions about the cost of living in Moriarty
Is Moriarty expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Moriarty costs less than 83% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living. The typical home costs 1.5 years of the median household income of the Albuquerque, NM metro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Moriarty?
About $227K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, up 2.5% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Moriarty?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $56,000 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 $59,000.
How much is rent in Moriarty?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,470 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $743 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Moriarty?
The median bill is $722 a year, 0.67% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Moriarty going up?
Yes: up 2.5% in the past year and 8.5% in five years, against 25.1% across New Mexico (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Moriarty 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.