Compare / Albuquerque to Charleston
Albuquerque, NM vs Charleston, SC
Simple answer
You'd likely save $500 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 $494, with Charleston higher.
New Mexico taxes wages at rates up to 5.90%. South Carolina taxes wages at rates up to 6.00%. Combined sales tax differs by 0.2 percentage points, higher in New Mexico. The effective property tax gap is 0.19 percentage points, higher in New Mexico.
After a move from New Mexico to South Carolina, these benefit results change for a family of four at $40,000 and a single adult at $18,000: Marketplace premium tax credits, Medicaid and CHIP.
A $75,000 salary in Albuquerque lines up with about $79,251 in Charleston 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
Charleston
Charleston-North Charleston, SC
- 2-bedroom Fair Market Rent
- $1,884
- HUD area
- Charleston-North Charleston, SC MSA
- Census median gross rent
- $1,714
- All-items price parity
- 101.0
- Goods price parity
- 96.3
- Utilities price parity
- 88.2
- Mean commute
- 29.4 min
- Median household income
- $90,307
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.
$79,251
Salary in Charleston that matches the 2024 all-items regional price parity.
$81,746
Gross salary in Charleston whose after-tax pay buys the same basket, using price parities.
$102,095
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 | South Carolina |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax on wages | up to 5.90% | up to 6.00% |
| Combined sales tax, Jan 1, 2026 | 7.7% | 7.5% |
| Effective property tax, ACS 2024 median / median | 0.63% | 0.45% |
On a $400,000 home, the state median effective rate implies about $2,538 a year in New Mexico and $1,786 in South Carolina. That illustration is not a local bill. Childcare prices are not in the verified dataset for these metros.
Benefits if you land in South Carolina
Same household, $40,000 a year, scored once in New Mexico and once in South Carolina. This is an illustration, not your application.
Food stamps (SNAP)
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
Medicaid and CHIP
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
WIC
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
School meals
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
LIHEAP
AlbuquerqueMaybe
CharlestonMaybe
Earned Income Tax Credit
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
Child Tax Credit
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
Marketplace premium tax credits
AlbuquerqueUnlikely
CharlestonLikely eligible
Lifeline phone and internet
AlbuquerqueLikely eligible
CharlestonLikely eligible
SSI
AlbuquerqueUnlikely
CharlestonUnlikely
| Program | Albuquerque | Charleston |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | Likely eligible |
| Lifeline phone and internet | Likely eligible | Likely eligible |
| SSI | Unlikely | Unlikely |
Marketplace premium tax credits changes. In Albuquerque the result is “Unlikely — Medicaid is the closer program.” In Charleston it is “Likely inside the 2026 subsidy range.” New Mexico expanded Medicaid, and this income is in the Medicaid range. Marketplace subsidies are usually not the program in that case.
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.