Photo: John Phelan · CC BY 3.0Measured against area pay, Placitas costs more to live in than 80% of U.S. towns
It ranks #66 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability. Down 1.8% in a year, about twice 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
The grade compares costs with what households across the Albuquerque metro earn ($71K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 7.9 years of metro income, and 30% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $642Ktypical home, 103% above the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $2,010a 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
- 7.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$71K, Albuquerque-area income
- 46%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 17%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What Placitas’ housing numbers say
Nearly every household owns
94% of Placitas households own their home, against 70% across New Mexico. There are only 66 renter households, so rentals are scarce. Property taxes ↓
Mostly newer homes
Half of Placitas’ homes were built after 2000, against 1985 for New Mexico as a whole. Property taxes ↓
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 Placitas’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Placitas is more affordable than 20% of U.S. towns, #66 of 72 in New Mexico. Rent pulls the grade down most; the share of households paying 30%+ for housing holds it up.
Values have lagged New Mexico: the typical Placitas home is up 18.2% in five years, against 25.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 18.2% in five years
Slower than New Mexico (25.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Placitas | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $383,000 | $177,000 |
| 2018 | $402,000 | $183,000 |
| 2019 | $415,000 | $191,000 |
| 2020 | $439,000 | $203,000 |
| 2021 | $483,000 | $228,000 |
| 2022 | $563,000 | $261,000 |
| 2023 | $612,000 | $285,000 |
| 2024 | $652,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $660,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $652,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $642,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Placitas home worth $381K in October 2016 is worth about $642K 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 8 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 typical home costs 7.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Placitas’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $350K short of a typical Placitas home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $2,010 a month here, $1,630 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Placitas’s typical property tax (0.51% 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 $2,010
Renters already here pay a median of $2,717.
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 $2,887 (New Mexico: $1,731), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.51% 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 Placitas
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.
Placitas vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Placitas has the 2nd-lowest. Santa Ana Pueblo has no Zillow value, so it is 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placitas | C− | $642K | $562K | 0.51% | $2,010 |
| Bernalillo | A− | $341K | $256K | 0.59% | $1,400 |
| Santa Ana Pueblo | A+ | — | $150K | — | $1,470 |
“—” 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 Placitas
Is Placitas expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Placitas costs more than 80% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living, #66 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 7.9 years of the median household income of the Albuquerque, NM metro area ($71K).
How much does a house cost in Placitas?
About $642K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.8% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Placitas?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $156,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $3,640 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $80,000.
How much is rent in Placitas?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $2,010 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $2,717 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Placitas?
The median bill is $2,887 a year, 0.51% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Placitas going up?
No: down 1.8% in the past year and 18.2% in five years, against 25.1% across New Mexico (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Placitas 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.