Photo: Eugene Kim from San Francisco, USA · CC BY 2.0Even on the area’s higher pay, Tesuque costs more to live in than 79% of U.S. towns
Home prices around Tesuque have risen about 38% over the past 5 years.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Santa Fe, NM metro area ($79K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade measures what housing costs against what households in the area earn. Tesuque’s area earns well above the typical U.S. town ($79K against $74K), but homes, rent and taxes here run higher still. Owners keep up better than renters: 35% of owners pay 30% or more of income for housing (typical U.S. town: 20%), against 51% of renters.
In dollars
- $1,550a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 99prices across the Santa Fe metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 108)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 10.7 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$79K, Santa Fe-area income
- 17%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 35%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
Housing in Tesuque, in brief
A low property tax rate
Owners pay about 0.32% of a home’s value a year in property tax, against 0.70% across New Mexico. Because homes cost more, the median bill is still $2,730 (New Mexico: $1,731). Property taxes ↓
Renting costs far less than owning
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month. Owning the typical Tesuque home, with 20% down at the calculator’s rate, runs about $5,070 with tax and insurance: 3 times as much. Can I afford it? ↓
Written from the data on this page. There’s no Zillow index for Tesuque, so the typical value is an estimate: the Census median carried forward with the federal house price index; incomes, rents paid, taxes and ownership come from the Census American Community Survey.
What’s behind Tesuque’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Tesuque is more affordable than 21% of U.S. towns. Home prices pull the grade down most; rent holds it up.
Home prices up 38% in 5 years
The federal house price index for the ZIP codes around Tesuque rose 38% over the past 5 years, slower than across New Mexico (50%). Last year prices fell 1.2%. Carrying the Census median home value forward with that index puts the typical Tesuque home at roughly $920,000 today.
Carrying the Census median forward with the index puts a typical home at about $920K.
Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index (annual) for the ZIP codes around Tesuque, weighted by land area. It tracks repeat sales of the same homes, so it shows how prices changed, not what homes cost.
A typical home costs 10.7 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Tesuque’s own median, or type yours.
That’s $585K short of a typical Tesuque home.
A two-bedroom rents for about $1,550 a month here, $3,520 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Tesuque’s typical property tax (0.32% 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 $1,550
Renters already here pay a median of $1,141, 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 (Santa Fe, 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 $2,730 (New Mexico: $1,731), because homes cost more. As a share of value it’s 0.32% 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 Tesuque
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Santa Fe, 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 | 99 | NM 92 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | NM 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 77 | 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.
Tesuque vs. its neighbors
Zillow publishes no value for Tesuque. Tano Road has no Zillow value, so it is in the table only.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tesuque | C− | — | $849K | 0.32% | $1,550 |
| Santa Fe | C− | $577K | $445K | 0.48% | $1,710 |
| Hyde Park | – | — | $1.4M | 0.39% | $1,930 |
| Peak Place | – | — | $14K | 1.44% | $1,500 |
| Tano Road | D | — | $1.1M | 0.50% | $1,500 |
“—” under Zillow: Zillow publishes no value for that town, so it’s left blank rather than mixed with Census figures. “—” under Cost: not graded (too little Census data, or under 1,000 residents).
Questions about the cost of living in Tesuque
Is Tesuque expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Tesuque costs more than 79% of U.S. towns: a C− for cost of living. The typical home costs 10.7 years of the median household income of the Santa Fe, NM metro area ($79K).
How much is rent in Tesuque?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $1,550 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $1,141 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Tesuque?
The median bill is $2,730 a year, 0.32% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Neighbors talk housing
What Tesuque 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. Price trend: Federal Housing Finance Agency House Price Index. 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.