What does a cost-of-living index of 90 mean?

An index of 90 means costs in Albuquerque are about 10% below the US average, which is set to 100. A salary stretches further locally than in an average-cost city.

Which categories drive the index?

The composite blends housing, groceries, transportation, utilities, and healthcare. Housing carries the heaviest weight, and Albuquerque's relatively affordable housing pulls the overall index below 100.

How do I compare two cities?

Convert a salary using each city's index. If Albuquerque is 90 and another city is 120, you would need about a third more income there to maintain the same standard of living.

Is this an official figure?

It is a representative composite for planning, not an official government statistic. Real costs vary by neighborhood and lifestyle, so treat the index as a directional guide.

Does the index include taxes?

Cost-of-living indices focus on consumer prices rather than income taxes. Use a separate tax tool for state and local income or gross receipts tax effects.

Albuquerque Cost-of-Living Index

Compare Albuquerque living costs

Albuquerque sits below the US average for everyday costs, with a composite cost-of-living index near 90 against a national baseline of 100. This tool shows how far an income stretches locally and the per-category picture behind the headline number.

How it works

A cost-of-living index expresses local prices as a percentage of the national average. To convert purchasing power between cities, you scale income by the ratio of indices:

equivalent income = your income * (target index / 100)
purchasing power  = your income * (100 / local index)

The composite is a weighted blend of housing, groceries, transportation, utilities, and healthcare, with housing weighted most heavily. Because Albuquerque housing is comparatively affordable, the overall index lands below 100 even where some categories run near average.

Tips and example

If you earn 60000 and Albuquerque’s index is 90, your effective purchasing power equals 60000 * (100 / 90) = 66667 of an average-cost city’s dollars — roughly an 11% boost. Moving to a city at index 120 would require 60000 * (120 / 90) = 80000 to maintain the same lifestyle.

Use the per-category bars to see where Albuquerque saves you the most; housing is usually the dominant factor.