New Mexico taxes residential property on a fixed fraction of its market value, as set by the county assessor. Annual increases in that value are limited by a statutory cap for as long as the owner keeps the home, which keeps long-held houses’ bills steady. A sale lifts the cap. The new owner’s value is reset toward the market, sometimes sharply, a jump owners call tax lightning. Courts have upheld the practice, so base your budget on the price rather than on the seller’s bill.
Local levies from the county, the municipality, the school district and special districts such as conservancy or flood control districts are applied to that net taxable value, with differences between in-town and out-of-town rates. In Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Las Cruces the rate is noticeably higher inside city limits.
The head-of-family exemption removes a small amount of value from a home owned by a New Mexico resident who heads the household, and veterans can claim a further exemption, with a full exemption for veterans with a total service-connected disability. Owners past retirement age with modest income can apply to have the value frozen. Each of these is claimed with the county assessor, generally once.
New Mexico has no real estate transfer tax, and it is a non-disclosure state, so sale prices do not appear in public records. Tax bills arrive in the autumn and are paid in two halves, in late autumn and the spring. Homes in rural areas may depend on wells, acequia water rights or propane, which belong in the monthly cost.
Property tax in New Mexico
The median New Mexico homeowner pays $1,731 a year in property tax on a home valued at $248,100, an effective rate of 0.6977% in the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). That ranks the 18th lowest of the 50 states and DC, at or below the middle state's 0.8003%. At that rate each $100,000 of home value carries about $698 a year of tax, or $58.14 a month in the payment, and that rate is what the calculator above starts from.
Inside New Mexico the rate swings widely: the top county pays more than three times the bottom one. Among counties whose survey figures pass both quality checks, the effective rate runs from 0.2949% in Taos County to 2% in McKinley County. On a $248,100 home that gap is worth about $4,230 a year. Pick a county in the calculator to use its rate, or type the rate from a listing or a current tax bill.
New Mexico property tax rates by county
All 33 counties, sorted from the highest effective rate to the lowest. The rate is the median tax paid divided by the median home value, from the ACS 5-year 2020-2024 survey (figures to December 31, 2024). Of these, seven carry a flag: where the survey's margin of error is wide or home values hit the survey's top code, the calculator uses the New Mexico median instead of that county's figure.
| County | Effective rate | Median home value | Median tax a year | Survey | Flags |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| McKinley County | 2% | $78,700 | $1,574 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Bernalillo County | 0.8976% | $292,900 | $2,629 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Cibola County | 0.7998% | $125,400 | $1,003 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Sandoval County | 0.7317% | $313,800 | $2,296 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Mora County | 0.7219% | $122,600 | $885 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Union County | 0.7001% | $122,700 | $859 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| San Juan County | 0.6796% | $193,800 | $1,317 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Doña Ana County | 0.6703% | $220,800 | $1,480 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Valencia County | 0.6161% | $223,000 | $1,374 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Quay County | 0.6101% | $87,200 | $532 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Socorro County | 0.6095% | $137,500 | $838 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Chaves County | 0.5978% | $156,400 | $935 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| De Baca County | 0.5963% | $187,500 | $1,118 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Curry County | 0.594% | $171,200 | $1,017 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| San Miguel County | 0.5735% | $188,500 | $1,081 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Otero County | 0.5544% | $162,700 | $902 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Los Alamos County | 0.548% | $495,800 | $2,717 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Luna County | 0.5367% | $128,000 | $687 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Lincoln County | 0.5343% | $233,200 | $1,246 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Colfax County | 0.5185% | $167,200 | $867 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Sierra County | 0.517% | $152,600 | $789 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Eddy County | 0.5151% | $212,600 | $1,095 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Santa Fe County | 0.4822% | $446,300 | $2,152 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Hidalgo County | 0.4784% | $111,000 | $531 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Guadalupe County | 0.4782% | $110,000 | $526 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Lea County | 0.4777% | $184,000 | $879 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Grant County | 0.4601% | $175,600 | $808 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Roosevelt County | 0.4536% | $135,800 | $616 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Torrance County | 0.4502% | $159,700 | $719 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Harding County | 0.4357% | $70,000 | $305 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Rio Arriba County | 0.419% | $243,700 | $1,021 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
| Catron County | 0.3641% | $167,000 | $608 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | Wide margin of error |
| Taos County | 0.2949% | $382,800 | $1,129 | ACS 5-year 2020-2024 | None |
Worked example: the median New Mexico home
The median owner-occupied home in New Mexico is valued at $248,100 (ACS 5-year 2020-2024). Put $49,620 down, enough to keep the loan at 80% of the price so no PMI is charged, and borrow the rest over 30 years at 7.4%, the Freddie Mac average for the week of October 15, 2026. Insurance is the calculator's default of $1,500 a year, the same figure on every state page and 7.6% of this payment; real premiums vary widely from state to state and with a home's exposure to wind, flood and wildfire, so replace it with a premium for the New Mexico home you are pricing.
| Line | A month | A year |
|---|---|---|
| Principal and interest | $1,374.24 | $16,490.88 |
| Property tax | $144.25 | $1,731.00 |
| Homeowners insurance | $125.00 | $1,500.00 |
| Private mortgage insurance | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Total payment | $1,643.49 | $19,721.88 |
Principal and interest dominate the bill; tax and insurance, usually collected through escrow, add $269.25 a month, 16.4% of the total. Over the full term the $198,480 loan costs $296,240 in interest.
With $24,810 down instead, the loan grows to $223,290 and PMI of $93.04 a month is added, for a first payment of $1,908.30. On the regular schedule the PMI stops after 10 years, with the payment in October 2036. A 15-year loan at the 6.71% average, with the larger down payment, raises the monthly figure to $2,021.22 but cuts the interest to $116,874.
What the median New Mexico wage can buy
The median annual wage in New Mexico is $47,210 (BLS wage survey, May 2025). Paid every two weeks as a single filer, that leaves about $3,223 a month after federal and New Mexico paycheck deductions. With $60,000 saved for a down payment and $400 a month of other debts, the home affordability calculator's default 28/36 rule gives this range at 7.4% and the New Mexico property tax rate:
| Level | Home price | Monthly payment |
|---|---|---|
| Conservative | $92,748 | $406 |
| Target | $174,110 | $1,016 |
| Stretch | $210,803 | $1,292 |
Here the limit is total debt: the housing payment plus the other $400 a month reaches 36% of gross pay first. The target falls $73,990 short of the $248,100 median home value: the median home costs 5.3 times the median wage, so a typical New Mexico purchase usually needs a second income, a larger down payment or a cheaper area.
Everyday costs help: New Mexico's prices for goods and rent run 7.8% below the national average, by the Bureau of Economic Analysis price parities for 2024 (figures to December 31, 2024). That stretches the median wage to about $51,197 in national dollars.
New Mexico mortgage questions
What is the mortgage payment on the median home in New Mexico?
The median New Mexico home is valued at $248,100 in the Census Bureau's ACS 5-year 2020-2024 figures. With $49,620 down and a 30-year loan at the 7.4% weekly average, the payment is $1,643.49 a month: $1,374.24 of principal and interest, $144.25 of property tax and $125.00 of insurance.
What is the property tax rate in New Mexico?
Homeowners in New Mexico pay a median of $1,731 a year on a median home value of $248,100, an effective rate of 0.6977%. That is the 18th lowest of the 50 states and DC. It is a measure of what owners actually pay, not a rate set in law, and a new purchase can be taxed differently.
Which New Mexico county has the highest property tax rate?
Among counties with reliable survey figures, McKinley County has the highest effective rate at 2% and Taos County the lowest at 0.2949%. On the $248,100 median home, that gap is about $4,230 a year.
How much house can I afford on the median New Mexico wage?
On the median wage of $47,210, take-home pay is about $3,223 a month. With $60,000 down and $400 a month of other debts, the 28/36 rule points to a home of about $174,110, against a median home value of $248,100.
Does a smaller down payment change the New Mexico payment much?
With $24,810 down on the same home the loan is larger and private mortgage insurance is added, so the payment starts at $1,908.30 a month, $93.04 of it PMI. The PMI stops once the scheduled balance reaches 78% of the original value.
Sources
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS 5-year 2020-2024), tables B25103 and B25077
- Freddie Mac, 30-Year Fixed Rate Mortgage Average in the United States [MORTGAGE30US], retrieved from FRED, Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis
- U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, 2024
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, removing PMI
Mortgage rates: Freddie Mac weekly averages as of . Property tax rates: U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 5-year 2020-2024 as of . Price levels: BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 as of . How we calculate.