San Juan County residents enjoy favorable cost of living advantages compared with other Four Corners’ regional communities and especially Durango, CO whose median housing prices are more than twice that of San Juan County. These cost of living advantages exist in comparison with most of the rest of the Southwestern U.S. as well!

The cost of living is the amount of money needed to afford general living expenses such as housing, groceries, transportation, healthcare and taxes. According to BestPlaces, San Juan County’s Cost of Living is 86.1, compared to 88.4 for New Mexico and 100 for the United States on average. A lower rating indicates a greater purchasing power per dollar of income. Simply put, your dollar buys more in San Juan County. In comparison to other Four Corners Region cities, San Juan County has a much more favorable Cost of Living than other regional cities like Durango, Colorado (128.9), Santa Fe, NM (115.4) and Flagstaff, Arizona (117).

Here’s the detail:

Cost of Living Comparison

Category San Juan County New Mexico U.S. Average
Overall 84.5 88.4 100
Housing 71.4 83.6 100
Groceries 92.2 93.3 100
Transportation 87.2 84.6 100
Utilities 95.2 100.4 100
Health Care 81.3 82.6 100
Miscellaneous 94.7 94.8 100

(Source: Bestplaces.net)

Common San Juan County Expenses

Housing

According to Bestplaces.net, the median home cost in the county is $165,502, compared to $193,200 for New Mexico and $231,200 for the country.

Taxes

  • San Juan County’s base property tax rate is the second lowest in the State of New Mexico

  • Highest State Income tax bracket for personal income is 5.9% and there are no County or Municipal income taxes

  • Fifth lowest state and local individual income tax collection per capita in fiscal year 2017 - $640

Transportation

Groceries

Per numbeo.com, the minimum cost for groceries per month for one person in San Juan County is $256.45.

Utilities

According to Electricity Local, residential electricity rates in Farmington are approximately 27.97% less than the New Mexico average and 31.06% less than the national average.

Bottom Line: Your finances really do go farther in San Juan County!


Consumer Expenditures