Metro FMR · CBSA 42140 · HUD FY2026

Santa Fe, NM MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Santa Fe, NM MSA metro area - 45% above the US average.

$1,390
1-bedroom FMR
$1,685
2-bedroom FMR
+1.6%
YoY change
+45%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Santa Fe, NM MSA area rents at $1,685 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 43% above the US average, higher than 79% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#81
priciest of 387 US metros (2BR)
+43%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$67,400
income to afford it (30% rule)
+1.6%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Santa Fe: #81 priciest nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $74,689, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 22.3% of annual income. It remains below the 30% affordability guide, but is a material part of a median-income household's budget.

The 2-bedroom figure places Santa Fe in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 154,481 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.2%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.4%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $1,318/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,685 runs 27.8% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 43.8% of the 20,375 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$1,259/mo

20.2% of median income

1 Bedroom

$1,390/mo

22.3% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,685/mo

27.1% of median income

3 Bedroom

$2,122/mo

34.1% of median income

4 Bedroom

$2,231/mo

35.8% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·42140

Santa Fe: $1,390/mo 1BR · #81 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 42140

  • CBSA 42140
  • 1BR-FMR $1,390
  • 2BR-FMR $1,685
  • RANK-MID #81
  • YOY-FLAT +1.6%
  • VSUS-HIGH +45%
  • IN-ST-HIGH #4 NM
  • INC-MID 22%
  • POP-MID 154K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Albuquerque
  • VOUCH-90-110 $1,251–$1,529
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Albuquerque ($205 1BR gap)

Read with: Understanding rent burden

Where Santa Fe sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,685 Top 21% higher than 79% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). Below this entry. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Below this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Below this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). This entry sits in this band. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

What this shows #81 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 43% above the national 2-bedroom average. 40 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

Santa Fe studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #81 nationally

1BR $1,390 (+45% vs US, +1.6% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 42140.

Studio
$1,259
US avg $893
↑1.9% YoY +41% vs US
1 Bedroom
$1,390
US avg $959
↑1.6% YoY +45% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,685
US avg $1,175
↑3.6% YoY +43% vs US
3 Bedroom
$2,122
US avg $1,525
↑3.2% YoY +39% vs US
4 Bedroom
$2,231
US avg $1,756
↑3.4% YoY +27% vs US

How Santa Fe compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NM metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Santa Fe highlighted among 3 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Santa Fe: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Santa Fe with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside NM (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside NM

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Eugene-Springfield
OR · 2 BR $1,688/mo
Panama City
FL · 2 BR $1,682/mo
Savannah
GA · 2 BR $1,680/mo
Fairbanks-College
AK · 2 BR $1,676/mo

Burden % · outside NM

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin
FL · 27.1% of income · 2 BR $1,785/mo
Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor
FL · 27.1% of income · 2 BR $1,604/mo
Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville
FL · 27% of income · 2 BR $1,709/mo
Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury
CT · 27% of income · 2 BR $2,511/mo

Santa Fe: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Santa Fe, NM MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Santa Fe, NM MSA is $1,390 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,685 and a studio is $1,259.
How does Santa Fe, NM MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Santa Fe, NM MSA metro area is 45% above the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $1,390 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Santa Fe rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,685 ranks #81 most expensive among 387 US metro areas (the upper-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Santa Fe, NM MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $55,600 ($4,633/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Santa Fe, NM MSA area.
Is Santa Fe's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+4.2%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 4.4%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Santa Fe vs Albuquerque →

What this means for renters

Treat Santa Fe's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

  • Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $1,390 implies about $55,600/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Santa Fe stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Albuquerque
  • See where Santa Fe ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 1 county; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $1,390/mo · 1BR NM

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.