Compare / Albuquerque to Bakersfield
Albuquerque, NM vs Bakersfield, CA
Simple answer
You'd likely save $272 a month in Albuquerque.
This is the HUD 2-bedroom fair-market rent for October 2026 through September 2027. It is not your lease.
The largest cost gap in this pair is Census rent. Census median gross rent differs by $259, with Bakersfield higher.
New Mexico taxes wages at rates up to 5.90%. California taxes wages at rates up to 13.30%. Combined sales tax differs by 1.3 percentage points, higher in California. The effective property tax gap is 0.07 percentage points, higher in California.
After a move from New Mexico to California, those two example households keep the same benefit status labels. A different income can still split Medicaid and marketplace credits.
A $75,000 salary in Albuquerque lines up with about $79,192 in Bakersfield on the 2024 all-items price parity. Census median gross rent and the commute figures are 2024. Fair Market Rents are fiscal year 2027.
Albuquerque
Albuquerque, NM
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,384
- HUD area
- Albuquerque, NM MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,220
- All-items price parity
- 95.5
- Goods price parity
- 96.1
- Utilities price parity
- 77.9
- Mean commute
- 25.6 min
- Median household income
- $76,097
Bakersfield
Bakersfield-Delano, CA
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,656
- HUD area
- Bakersfield-Delano, CA MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,479
- All-items price parity
- 100.9
- Goods price parity
- 105.2
- Utilities price parity
- 158.3
- Mean commute
- 24.8 min
- Median household income
- $71,596
Equivalent salary
The first number keeps the same place in the national price level. The second also runs 2026 federal income tax, employee Social Security and Medicare, and a simplified state income tax. Groceries use the BEA goods price parity, not a grocery receipt.
$79,192
Salary in Bakersfield that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$81,055
Gross salary in Bakersfield whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$89,740
Scales the salary by the ratio of HUD 2-bedroom Fair Market Rents. Rent is not the whole budget.
Taxes on the two sides of the move
| Tax | New Mexico | California |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 5.90% | up to 13.30% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.7% | 9.0% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.63% | 0.71% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,538 a year in New Mexico and $2,828 in California. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in California
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in New Mexico and once in California. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
BakersfieldLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
BakersfieldLikely eligible
WIC
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
BakersfieldLikely eligible
School meals
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
BakersfieldLikely eligible
LIHEAP
AlbuquerqueMaybe
BakersfieldMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
BakersfieldLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
BakersfieldLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
AlbuquerqueUnlikely
BakersfieldUnlikely
Lifeline phone and internet
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
BakersfieldLikely eligible
SSI
AlbuquerqueUnlikely
BakersfieldUnlikely
| Program | Albuquerque | Bakersfield |
|---|---|---|
| Food stamps (SNAP) | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Medicaid and CHIP | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| WIC | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| School meals | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| LIHEAP | Maybe | Maybe |
| Earned Income Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Child Tax Credit | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| Marketplace premium tax credits | Unlikely | Unlikely |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
At $40,000 the status labels match. A single adult around $18,000 is where Medicaid expansion and the marketplace coverage gap usually split.
Related comparisons
From Albuquerque
The eight largest 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent gaps from Albuquerque.
- Albuquerque and San Francisco · rent gap $2,313
- Albuquerque and San Jose · rent gap $1,888
- Albuquerque and Boston · rent gap $1,624
- Albuquerque and New York · rent gap $1,587
- Albuquerque and Los Angeles · rent gap $1,580
- Albuquerque and San Diego · rent gap $1,439
- Albuquerque and Miami · rent gap $1,180
- Albuquerque and Seattle · rent gap $1,165
Nearby metros
How the salary and tax math works · The reverse city order redirects to this address.