Multnomah County, OR vs Bernalillo County, NM: Cost of Living Difference

Is it cheaper?

Bernalillo County, NM is cheaper than Multnomah County, OR.

Moving to Bernalillo County, NM is estimated to save $20,194 per year.

Cheaper cost of living

Cheaper County

Bernalillo County, NMSave about $20,194 per year.

Salary needed

$50,000 in Multnomah County, OR is about $34,265 in Bernalillo County, NM.

Biggest drivers

Transport increases by $9 per year. Housing saves $8,028 per year.

Housing: $8,028 lower in Bernalillo County, NM

Taxes: $8,006 lower in Bernalillo County, NM

Childcare: about the same in both counties

Healthcare: $284 lower in Bernalillo County, NM

Food: $1,061 lower in Bernalillo County, NM

Transport: $9 higher in Bernalillo County, NM

Multnomah County, ORBernalillo County, NM
Equivalent salary in Bernalillo County, NM
$34,265
-31.47% lower
Current salary: $50,000
Household: 1 adult · 0 children
Median Income in Multnomah County, OR: $113,868
Median Income in Bernalillo County, NM: $84,404
Living Index in Multnomah County, OR 56.36%
Living Index in Bernalillo County, NM 52.11%

This estimate matches your purchasing power (equivalent salary) when moving from Multnomah County, OR 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 Multnomah County, OR to Bernalillo County, NM is estimated to save $20,194 per year. A $50,000 salary in Multnomah County, OR would have similar purchasing power to about $34,265 in Bernalillo County, NM. The largest savings come from housing and taxes.

This is a 31.47% decrease in modeled annual costs. Housing is $8,028 per year lower (42.78%); Taxes is $8,006 per year lower (50.27%).

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:

$9 per year

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

Biggest Savings
Largest annual savings when moving to Bernalillo County, NM
Annual Savings:

$8,028 per year

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

Breakdown of price percentages per category.

Numbers are average costs per section.

CategoryDifference
Housing-42.78% lower
Food-20.53% lower
Transport0.08% higher
Healthcare-5.05% lower
Other Costs-37.98% lower
Childcare0.00% higher
Taxes-50.27% lower

In Bernalillo County, NM, modeled annual costs are $43,985 compared with $64,179 in Multnomah County, OR.

Overall, annual costs are lower in Bernalillo County, NM. The category breakdown above shows where the move creates the most room in the budget.

In this case Bernalillo County, NM and Multnomah County, OR are both metropolitan locations.

Use our map to visually compare multiple counties at once.

View county cost breakdowns

See county rankings

City housing context

Compare nearby counties

How WatchPennies calculates salary needed
Multnomah, OR vs Bernalillo, NM Cost Difference