

Los Angeles vs Santa Fe
$243/mo more in Santa Fe
Los AngelesSanta FeAbout 699 miles apart, a flight.
- Santa Fe leaves you more
- Rent under 30% of pay
- 276 sunny days
Same paycheck, two cities. $1,943/mo in Santa Fe. $1,700/mo in Los Angeles. +$2,916 a year.
Los Angeles
$1,700
left each month
Santa Fe
$1,943
+$243 vs Los Angeles
Compare
Same paycheck, another city.
Next
In 2022-2023, 140 households moved Los Angeles → Santa Fe (avg AGI $134,521). 105 went the other way. The whole move →
+$243 / mo
See full breakdown
| Per month | Los Angeles | Santa Fe | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $8,750 | $6,914 | −$1,836 |
| Income and payroll tax | $2,378 | $1,585 | −$793 |
| Take-home pay | $6,372 | $5,329 | −$1,043 |
| Rent | $2,273 | $1,503 | −$770 |
| Getting around | $674 | $491 | −$183 |
| Groceries | $476 | $384 | −$92 |
| Healthcare | $536 | $432 | −$104 |
| Utilities | $298 | $240 | −$58 |
| Everything else | $417 | $336 | −$81 |
| Left over | $1,700 | $1,943 | +$243 |
Salary to match Los Angeles
$78,500
Gross pay in Santa Fe that leaves the same amount as $105,000 in Los Angeles.
Tax difference
+$2,984
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 27.2% in Los Angeles, 22.9% in Santa Fe.
More about Santa Fe
Los Angeles, CA in full
Perfect weather, deep job market, and a car payment you can't avoid.
Santa Fe, NM in full
State income tax topping out at 5.9%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,789 and 276 sunny days; commutes average 23 minutes.
The other way
Start in Santa Fe.
Santa Fe → Los Angeles →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Santa Fe than Los Angeles?
For one adult in a one-bedroom, Santa Fe leaves about $243 more a month. A one-bedroom is about $2,273 in Los Angeles and $1,503 in Santa Fe.
Does Santa Fe have state income tax?
Santa Fe is in New Mexico, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Los Angeles to Santa Fe?
The paycheck is taxed in New Mexico. Rent stays at the same bedroom count. What you keep is the difference.
Left over each month is take-home pay minus rent and the rest of the bills. The gap between Los Angeles and Santa Fe changes with the job, remote or local pay, and bedrooms. How we figure this · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Estimate, not a quote. How we figure this.