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WatchPennies estimates cost of living by US county across housing, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, other necessities, taxes, and income context.

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What does the Hidalgo County, TX vs Bernalillo County, NM comparison show?

It compares estimated living costs by category, including housing, food, transportation, healthcare, childcare, other necessities, taxes, and income context.

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Hidalgo County, TX vs Bernalillo County, NM: Cost of Living Difference

Is it cheaper?

Hidalgo County, TX is cheaper than Bernalillo County, NM.

Moving to Bernalillo County, NM is estimated to cost $3,148 more per year.

Cheaper County

Hidalgo County, TXSpend $3,148 more per year.

Salary needed

$50,000 in Hidalgo County, TX is about $53,855 in Bernalillo County, NM.

Biggest drivers

Taxes increases by $1,781 per year. Transport saves $1,822 per year.

Housing: $1,220 higher in Bernalillo County, NM

Taxes: $1,781 higher in Bernalillo County, NM

Childcare: about the same in both counties

Healthcare: $622 higher in Bernalillo County, NM

Food: $739 higher in Bernalillo County, NM

Transport: $1,822 lower in Bernalillo County, NM

Hidalgo County, TX→Bernalillo County, NM

Equivalent salary in Bernalillo County, NM

$53,855

+7.71% higher

Current salary: $50,000

Household: 1 adult · 0 children

Median Income in Hidalgo County, TX: $57,989

Median Income in Bernalillo County, NM: $84,404

Living Index in Hidalgo County, TX 70.42%

Living Index in Bernalillo County, NM 52.11%

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Hidalgo County, TX to Bernalillo County, NM.

* Living index is estimated as (estimated total cost / area median income) * 100. A living index above 100% means modeled costs exceed median income.

Cost of Living Breakdown by Category

Summary

Moving from Hidalgo County, TX to Bernalillo County, NM is estimated to cost $3,148 more per year. To maintain similar purchasing power, a $50,000 salary in Hidalgo County, TX would need to be about $53,855 in Bernalillo County, NM. The biggest increase is taxes, followed by housing.

This is a 7.71% increase in modeled annual costs. Taxes is $1,781 per year higher (29.01%); Housing is $1,220 per year higher (12.82%).

Below we break down the annual categories behind the difference using Economic Policy Institute 2026 Family Budget data.

What changed the most?

The following cards show the annual category differences that most affect the move to Bernalillo County, NM.

Biggest Cost

Largest annual cost increase when moving to Bernalillo County, NM

Annual Increase:

$1,781 per year

TAXES has the largest annual increase when moving to Bernalillo County, NM.

Biggest Savings

Largest annual savings when moving to Bernalillo County, NM

Annual Savings:

$1,822 per year

TRANSPORT has the largest annual savings when moving to Bernalillo County, NM.

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

Category	Difference
Housing	12.82% higher
Hidalgo County, TX Bernalillo County, NM Average Cost $9516.00 $10736.00 INFO: Housing costs are based on Department of Housing and Urban Development data. The estimate uses 40th percentile rent for privately owned rental units in each area. Studio apartments are paired with one-adult households, one-bedroom apartments with two-adult households, and two-bedroom apartments with households that have children.
Food	21.94% higher
Hidalgo County, TX Bernalillo County, NM Average Cost $3369.00 $4108.00 INFO: Food costs are based on the U.S. Department of Agriculture's food plans. Numbers are normalized to each area using Feeding America and Meal Gap data. This estimate assumes most food is bought at local grocery stores and prepared at home.
Transport	-13.91% lower
Hidalgo County, TX Bernalillo County, NM Average Cost $13094.00 $11272.00 INFO: Transportation costs are a combination of auto ownership, auto use, and public transit. Data is collected from the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT).
Healthcare	13.18% higher
Hidalgo County, TX Bernalillo County, NM Average Cost $4718.00 $5340.00 INFO: Healthcare expenses come from average insurance premiums and out-of-pocket costs. The estimate assumes families purchase the lowest-cost available insurance plan under the Affordable Care Act. Data comes from Kaiser Family Foundation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS).
Other Costs	15.20% higher
Hidalgo County, TX Bernalillo County, NM Average Cost $4001.00 $4609.00 INFO: This cost is calculated through the average spending of categories deemed necessary by the Bureau of Labor Statistics Consumer Expenditure Survey. These include apparel, personal care, household supplies, reading materials, and school supplies.
Childcare	0.00% higher
Hidalgo County, TX Bernalillo County, NM Average Cost $0.00 $0.00 INFO: Childcare expenses are based on combined costs for center-based care and family-based care for 4-year-olds and school-aged children. For households with one child, the estimate assumes the child is 4 years old. For households with two children, the estimate assumes the second child is 8 years old.
Taxes	29.01% higher
Hidalgo County, TX Bernalillo County, NM Average Cost $6139.00 $7920.00 INFO: Taxes are calculated from the National Bureau of Economic Research. The number weighs in personal income tax, state income tax, federal Social Security, and Medicare taxes.

In Bernalillo County, NM, modeled annual costs are $43,985 compared with $40,837 in Hidalgo County, TX.

Overall, annual costs are higher in Bernalillo County, NM. The category breakdown above shows whether housing, taxes, transportation, healthcare, food, childcare, or other necessities are driving the increase.

In this case Bernalillo County, NM and Hidalgo County, TX are both metropolitan locations.

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