Median rent is 2% lower in Albuquerque ($1,145/mo vs $1,164/mo). Buying is cheaper in Albuquerque, where the median home runs $291,500 versus $293,500. Households earn more in Lexington-Fayette ($69,479 vs $68,317 a year).
City A
Albuquerque, NM
City B
Lexington-Fayette, KY
How much would you need to earn in Lexington-Fayette, KY to maintain your standard of living from Albuquerque, NM?
A cost-of-living index isn't available for one of these cities yet, so we can't compute an equivalent salary.
Based on BEA Regional Price Parity (cost index) for each metro area. This estimates overall purchasing power; it does not account for taxes or take-home pay differences.
Metric
Albuquerque
New Mexico
Lexington-Fayette
Kentucky
Population
Median Household Income
Annual
Median Gross Rent
Per month
Median Home Value
Cost of Living Index
US avg = 100
1BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
2BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
3BR Fair Market Rent
HUD FMR
Air Quality Index
Lower = cleaner
Top State Income Tax
Top marginal rate
State Sales Tax
Statewide base rate
Median Age
Years
✓ = better value · Sources: Census ACS, BEA, HUD Fair Market Rents, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation
Median rents are similar in both cities: $1,145/mo in Albuquerque and $1,164/mo in Lexington-Fayette. Median home values are within 1% of each other: $291,500 in Albuquerque and $293,500 in Lexington-Fayette.
1BR Fair Market Rent
2BR Fair Market Rent
BLS OEWS 2023 — metro-level data
State tax data is not yet available for these cities.
Albuquerque
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Lexington-Fayette
Income tax: N/A
Sales tax: N/A
Lexington-Fayette has cleaner air on average: 24.0 AQI (Good) compared to 28.0 AQI (Good) in the other city. Lower AQI means cleaner, healthier air.
Is Albuquerque cheaper than Lexington-Fayette?
Cost of living index data is not yet available for one or both cities.
How much is rent in Albuquerque vs Lexington-Fayette?
Median rent is $1,145/mo in Albuquerque, NM and $1,164/mo in Lexington-Fayette, KY. Albuquerque, NM has the lower rent by about 2%.
Which has higher salaries — Albuquerque or Lexington-Fayette?
Median household income is $68,317 in Albuquerque, NM and $69,479 in Lexington-Fayette, KY. Lexington-Fayette, KY has the higher median income. Note that BLS occupational wages in the table above show wages for specific jobs.
Which city has better air quality?
Lexington-Fayette, KY has better air quality on average: 24.0 AQI versus 28.0 AQI. Both are EPA AirNow annual averages; lower is better.
Which has lower taxes — Albuquerque or Lexington-Fayette?
State tax data is not yet available for one or both cities.
What salary do I need in Lexington-Fayette to match my Albuquerque income?
RPP data needed for salary equivalence calculation is not yet available.
Data last updated: December 1, 2026 · Sources: US Census ACS, BEA RPP, BLS OEWS, HUD FMR, EPA AirNow, Tax Foundation · Methodology
