San Juan River Bridge at Shiprock · Photo: Mx. Granger · CC0Measured against area pay, Shiprock costs less to live in than 78% of U.S. towns
It ranks #13 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability.
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
The grade compares costs with what households across the Farmington metro earn ($56K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of metro income, and 34% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $970a 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
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$56K, Farmington-area income
- 15%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 34%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Mexico: 50%Census 2020–24
- 23%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Shiprock, in brief
Rent is easier on renters here
34% of renter households spend 30% or more of their income on rent, against 50% across New Mexico. A standard two-bedroom is 32% of the median household income. Renting ↓
About half of Shiprock rents
51% of households rent their home, 929 in all, against 30% across New Mexico. Renting ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Shiprock, so the typical value is the Census median; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Shiprock’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Shiprock is more affordable than 78% of U.S. towns, #13 of 72 in New Mexico. The share of households paying 30%+ for housing pulls the grade down most; home prices hold it up.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Shiprock’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Shiprock home, with $120K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $360 more than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, the New Mexico typical property tax (0.70% 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 $970
Renters already here pay a median of $694, 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 (Farmington, NM MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
The rest of a budget near Shiprock
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.
Shiprock 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shiprock | A− | — | $104K | — | $970 |
“—” 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 Shiprock
Is Shiprock expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Shiprock costs less than 78% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #13 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Farmington, NM metro area ($56K).
How much is rent in Shiprock?
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 $694 (Census 2020–24).
Neighbors talk housing
What Shiprock buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center. 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.