Photo: Zeality · CC BY 2.5Measured against area pay, Taos costs more to live in than 73% of U.S. towns
It ranks #57 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability. Down 1.3% in a year, 35% 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 Taos, NM micro area ($59K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
The grade compares costs with what households across the Taos-area micro earn ($59K, Census 2020–24). Even so, the typical home costs 7.6 years of area income, and 48% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $426Ktypical home, 35% above the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $1,230a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
In paychecks the grade
- 7.6 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$59K, Taos-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 48%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
The short version on homes in Taos
Prices are 20% below their 2022 peak
The typical Taos home peaked at $529K in August 2022 and is worth about $426K now. Across New Mexico, values are at or near their high. Over five years, Taos is down 12%. Price trend ↓
Buyers have time and room to negotiate
At the pace homes sold in September, it would take about 7 months to sell everything listed (New Mexico: 4.6). The typical home took 94 days to sell and sold at 91% of asking. None sold above the asking price. How fast homes sell ↓
A low property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.36% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.70% across New Mexico. The median bill is $1,600 (New Mexico: $1,731). 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; permits are Census figures through 2016 (2016 partly estimated); incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Taos’ grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Taos is more affordable than 27% of U.S. towns, #57 of 72 in New Mexico. Home prices pull the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Values have lagged New Mexico: the typical Taos home is down 11.7% in five years, against 25.1% statewide (Zillow).
Down 11.7% in five years
Slower than New Mexico (25.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Taos | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $340,000 | $177,000 |
| 2018 | $350,000 | $183,000 |
| 2019 | $361,000 | $191,000 |
| 2020 | $377,000 | $203,000 |
| 2021 | $430,000 | $228,000 |
| 2022 | $493,000 | $261,000 |
| 2023 | $509,000 | $285,000 |
| 2024 | $469,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $442,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $430,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $426,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Taos home worth $336K in October 2016 is worth about $426K 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 9 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 7.6 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Taos’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $177K short of a typical Taos home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,230 a month here, $1,130 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Taos’s typical property tax (0.36% 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 $1,230
Renters already here pay a median of $883, 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 (Taos County, NM): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
No new homes permitted in 2016
No permits for new homes were issued in Taos in 2016. The last year with any was 2015 (4 new homes).
Every year as a table
| Year | New homes | Single-family | 2+ per building | Value |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| 2015 | 4 | 4 | 0 | $938,000 |
| 2014 | 15 | 9 | 6 | $2.5 million |
| 2013 | 36 | 36 | 0 | $4.9 million |
| 2012 | 8 | 8 | 0 | $1.4 million |
| 2011 | 7 | 7 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2010 | 5 | 5 | 0 | $1.2 million |
| 2009 | 10 | 10 | 0 | $1.8 million |
| 2008 | 17 | 17 | 0 | $2 million |
| 2007 | 32 | 25 | 7 | $7.4 million |
| 2006 | 112 | 56 | 56 | $14.7 million |
| 2005 | 73 | 73 | 0 | $14.6 million |
| 2004 | 71 | 63 | 8 | $14.3 million |
| 2003 | 39 | 39 | 0 | $7.7 million |
| 2002 | 35 | 35 | 0 | $5.7 million |
| 2001 | 24 | 24 | 0 | $3.9 million |
| 2000 | 86 | 86 | 0 | $8.7 million |
Taos's permit office hasn't appeared in the Census permit files since 2016, so these are its newest figures.
Homes authorized by building permits, counted in the year the permit was issued. U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits Survey.
Property tax runs below the New Mexico norm
The median bill is $1,600 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.36% 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+”.
Taos vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Taos has the 2nd-lowest. Taos 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Taos | C | $426K | $446K | 0.36% | $1,230 |
| Ranchos de Taos | C+ | $407K | $350K | 0.28% | $1,430 |
| Taos Pueblo | C+ | — | $372K | 0.35% | $1,230 |
“—” 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 Taos
Is Taos expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Taos costs more than 73% of U.S. towns: a C for cost of living, #57 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 7.6 years of the median household income of the Taos, NM micro area ($59K).
How much does a house cost in Taos?
About $426K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.3% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Taos?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $101,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $2,360 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $49,000.
How much is rent in Taos?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,230 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $883 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Taos?
The median bill is $1,600 a year, 0.36% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Taos going up?
No: down 1.3% in the past year and -11.7% in five years, against 25.1% across New Mexico (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Taos 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. New homes: U.S. Census Bureau, Building Permits 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.