20+ Things to Know Before Moving to Santa Fe, NM (2025)

Let me help you decide if Santa Fe, New Mexico is a good place to live in 2025

Written By: Santa Fe Daily (Aka a local transplant) | Last updated: 8/1/2025

So you are thinking about what it would be like relocating to Santa Fe, NM this year?

Well, before you pack your U haul up and or sell everything associated to your name, here’s my pros and cons for anyone considering living in Santa Fe.

For the the overwhelming majority, Santa Fe is great place to live, but review this list to get the full scoop on what it’s like to call yourself a local here.

Note: Written by someone who moved to Santa Fe AND still lives here!

A Locals Living Review of Santa Fe, NM after 3 Years

Don’t get overwhelmed this is going to be comprehensive, and for good reason, I want you to have the most accurate sense of what it’s like relocating to the City Different, Santa Fe.

Outdoor Adventure City
City of Endless Art
Highest State Capital City
Weather in The City Different
Cost of Living in Santa Fe
Santa Fe Neighborhoods & Areas
Walkability, Transit, & Airport
Demographics | Who lives here?
Living in Santa Fe as a Young Professional
Nightlife Activity
History Everywhere You Go
An Amazing Food Destination
Actual Safety & Homelessness
Job Market in Santa Fe, NM

Abundance of Outdoor Opportunities

For many others including myself, one of the main things that drew me to Santa Fe was the plethora of outdoor adventures.

If you enjoy being outside at all, moving to Santa Fe is a damn good reason to do it!

I chose to relocate here with my partner largely for the quick access to Ski Santa Fe, and large amount of MTB trails. The city does not offer as many accessible challenging downhill trails as where we relocated from, but its surely not an apples to apples comparison.

For what you get here, Mountain Bike riders will thoroughly enjoy themselves.

Some of my favorite outdoor activities around Santa Fe:

There are countless other recreational activities, like a Skatepark near the downtown plaza, south on Cerrillos, and much more. These should get you started!

Oh, and how could i forget?! There is an abundance of amazing Gyms in Santa Fe to choose from!

Verdict – SOLID! Forget the crowds of Colorado and UT, NM has open spaces and small crowds.

Art, Art, and More Art Galleries

Prescott Sculptures Canyon Road Santa Fe NM

The city different is an artists paradise or an overwhelming overload of expensive galleries.

Call it what you want, but the reality is, galleries are seemingly everywhere. For better or worse, get used too it if you’re moving here.

Santa Fe is one of the most acclaimed art cities in the world and has an endless supply of studios/galleries.

Starters can explore more than 80 galleries around Canyon Road District to get a quick taste of the talent that makes up the area!

Verdict – You will be at home if art is your calling. If not, might be an overload.

A Dry and High-est State Capital in USA

Elevation acclimation is real in our charming Southwest home.

For those who don’t know, the elevation in Santa Fe, NM sits at about 7,200 ft!

And if you were curious, that means that Santa Fe is the highest state capital in the United States!

Be wary of your physical activity and drinking before your body adapts to the change and be prepped for dry days. Yes, it’s dry, bring lip balm.

Four seasons of amazing weather

The weather in Santa Fe really is about as good as you could imagine across the United States.

Over 300 days of sunshine and very comfortable weather because of it’s elevation, Santa Fe doesn’t disappoint.

Although the weather is outstanding, here are some things you should probably know:

4 seasons of weather. Yes, Santa Fe gets snow!
Winds – Strong winds are very common and for myself (annoying)
Dry – Again, we are in the high desert. Your skin will definitely need daily moisturizing, sunscreen, and water

Verdict – Amazing for 4 seasons lovers.

High Cost of Housing in Santa Fe

Santa Fe is a small city with a high demand.

This really causes a hike in living pricing and anything else associated with it.

Don’t be shocked by prices if you are comparing living here vs Albuquerque or living vs your previous location.

Renting in Santa Fe

Rental Rates for a 2 bedroom apartment will typically run around the

$2,000+ mark closer to the city center
$1500-$1800 in South Santa Fe

For those relocating, the city has had a number of different apartment projects popping up around the city drastically increasing the supply of options, as when we relocated 3 years ago, there were only a few closer to downtown options on the higher end we considered (Railyard Flats / Capitol Flats).

Investing/Buying a Home in Santa Fe

Home Pricing will vary widely but anything close to the plaza can easily demand close to $1,000,000 and more.

Here’s a quick screenshot of the Zillow homes in the general Santa Fe area. As you can see, prices can stretch significantly to the high end, but there typically is enough supply between the $400-$700k mark especially if Condos /some fixer upper projects are added to the mix.

So a question many of you might be thinking is, “Is Santa Fe a good place to invest in?”

I certainly think so, and growth has continued steady.

Verdict – Expensive but can be manageable especially if your buying options are flexible (cash on hand for renovations/fixer upper/condos).

Santa Fe Neighborhoods Overview

One of the most important parts before settling in Santa Fe is what part of the city will you choose to live.

Here’s a brief overview of some general neighborhoods/areas of Santa Fe:

Downtown/Railyard – Better suited for couples or singles as living spaces are smaller but you are more immersed in the local scene. Living options tend to lean towards apartments/studios, and lots of condos and townhouses in these ares. Yes there are homes, but be forewarned of some sticker shock when prices crop up.

Midtown – Mixture of downtown action and more housing choices.

South Santa Fe – Farther from the action and more prone to running into traffic (although minimal). Much more options in terms of housing and lower prices. If you are looking for some room to spread your wings a bit and a bit of land, this is a good starting place for you.

Artist Road (north east) – Prices can skyrocket north up artist road onto Hyde Park rd as homes built into the mountainside tend to have incredible views of the Sangre De Cristo Mountains and are somewhat close to town. These homes are often closer to outdoor activities and command high prices.

Las Campanas – The high end and luxury development on the Northwest Fringes of Santa Fe. It’s a whole new world out there with some amazing Adobe Ranch style properties.

El Dorado at Santa Fe – Another area of incredible homes about 20 minutes south of the city.

Verdict – I love living around the railyard as I can get to trails and locals shops easily. If you are in South Santa Fe, you will need a car but will have more space with your property.

Santa Fe Walkability and Local Transit

Getting to Santa Fe isn’t really that hard but you just need a solid plan of action if it’s your first time.

The Need for a Car in Santa Fe

So you’re probably wondering, “do I need car in Santa Fe?”

Unfortunately, you will most likely need a car if you’re living in Santa Fe, especially if you’re living in South Santa Fe. I wouldn’t say the public transit is terrible because it isn’t, but relying on it is like moving at the cities pace, slow.

Verdict : Car if you’re planning to be exploring the area, no car if you are an artist and no you won’t be exploring much.

Santa Fe’s Walkability

If you live near downtown, walking and biking is convenient and the best way to do things because parking can be a pain and there’s a number of shops to organically discover.

Outside of the downtown area/railyard, Santa Fe is not really walkable.

Once you start making your way down Cerrillos, you are in the land of the strip malls and big box names. This area is more suited towards drive and shop and not organically browsing or stumbling into something unexpected.

Public Transportation around the area

I can’t report much on this as I’ve never used the bus system to get around the city limits of town but I do know many buses are available. The one time I tried taking the bus I got denied because my MTB tires did not fit in the bus rack and could not bring my bike on board.

The best local transportation option in Santa Fe is the Free 255 Blue Bus up to Ski Santa Fe that is equipped with Bike Racks made specifically for MTB Bikes. This is an AMAZING option for outdoor enthusiasts, and this shuttles up into the winter months as well!

Rail Runner Train to ABQ

Rail Runner Train: Direct access to Albuquerque from Santa Fe

The Santa Fe Airport is an amazing option if you can find a good fare or are flexible because it’s only about 15 minutes from the heart of town.

Otherwise, you will be flying in and out of Albuquerque, which is about 1 hour away.

Ubers/Lyfts/Taxis

Yes, Uber/Lyft exist here but there are not as abundant as you would expect in major cities.

Flying in and out of Santa Fe Airport

I think for a lot of people, proximity to a major airport or even a regional airport is very important. Luckily for those living in Santa Fe, there is one 15 minutes outside of town and then about an hour down to Albuquerque’s Sunport International.

As a local, I love the option we have here with the Santa Fe Airport. Is it perfect? No way, but for having the option to fly into your airport only 15 minutes from home, it’s a gem.

The new parking lot has been completed and now overnight parking is about $8/day.

Security is one lane and usually is pretty seamless but can get backed up as everything filters through a single lane. With Santa Fe being a higher demographic traveled area, I would assume most travelers utilize TSA Pre which can significantly help speed things up .

The Santa Fe Airport is in the southwest part of the city and can be found at this address: 121 Aviation Dr, Santa Fe, NM 87507

Verdict – Love the convenience and nice to have option.

Santa Fe Retiree Demographic

Before relocating to Santa Fe, there’s a very important thing to note about the community you will be interacting with daily.

The retiree club will find Santa Fe as an excellent place to retire in 2024 and beyond! Picture this:

Pickleball
Excellent Gyms with Community Events
Walkable (downtown area)

Verdict – Doesn’t bother me at all, but would love to see more younger folks.

Living in Santa Fe as a young person

For the younger demographic (like myself) living in Santa Fe as a young person comes with it’s ranges of variables.

Although there has been a growing number of younger professionals moving to Santa Fe (including myself) the largest population that makes up the community is still older retirees.

Albeit the age thing, there are tons of amazing things to do in Santa Fe that cater perfectly for the younger crowds.

So if you’re thinking to yourself, ” how does a young person moving to Santa Fe make friends?”, don’t get too concerned.

Join the frequent and welcoming, local bike club rides, visit Santa Fe’s Top Coffee Shops for monthly events, or just stumble into dumb luck.

Verdict – If you have a partner and are younger, it’s a very solid place to live. I would live in a bigger city if I was single and trying to find “the one”.

Nightlife in Santa Fe

Continuing on from the previous point, since the fabric of the Santa Fe community is older, the nightlife in Santa Fe is lacking.

Yes, it’s easy to have an amazing night out here, especially if you have a good social cirlce, but as far as a plethora of options of late night bars or a place to dance all night, it’s not happening here.

From my latest research, I think the only late bar option is a dive bar called The Matador.

Other social recreation activities like consuming Cannabis is big business in our Northern New Mexico city.

If you are in need of your cannabis fix, explore the countless Santa Fe Weed Shops this year.

Verdict – Party animals/night owls will have a tough adjustment. Introverts / non partyers might just find the perfect solace.

Santa Fe history is on daily display

Anytime you are exploring this city it feels like you’re transported back in time or as if you are apart of a history book.

Like it or not, Santa Fe is a history book.

What comes with the culture of this city? Festivals and events!

Foodies Paradise

tesuque village market santa fe key lime pie — Tesuque Village Market Key Lime Pie

If it’s excellent food you are after, Santa Fe is an incredible spot to satisfy serious cravings.

Yes, a higher majority of the food options cater towards Mexican/New Mexican but the quality of these establishments are unmatched.

You will also find many high-quality white cloth/upscale restaurants around the city.

Yes there are a variety of other foods but we definitely aren’t as diverse on the food spectrum as other major cities.

Also, familiarize yourself with Santa Fe’s Breakfast Burritos because it’s yet another amazing thing about living in Santa Fe!

Verdict – I honestly wish we had better mid tier food options/variety.

We shuffle through the weekly, where are we going to eat debate and landing at something we aren’t always excited about. As a younger professional, I don’t always want fine dining where the bill is at least $100 or another New Mexican meal.

Safety and Homelessness in the City Different

Santa Fe is a relatively safe city but there is definitely a growing homeless problem.

Although the cities homelessness is not as rampant as Albuquerque, it might feel bad at times since the city is small.

Verdict – I’m from San Francisco and lived in the Tenderloin, so homelessness has been prevalent my whole life. The homelessness here is bad and seems to be getting worse although there’s no direct issues I’ve ever had.

Relocating to Santa Fe without a Job

It’s highly recommended to have a job before relocating to Santa Fe unless you’re moving here for your job.

Santa Fe is an amazing place to live especially if you have a flexible remote position as most of the jobs here are tailored towards tourism, service industries, and film!

For those who are in the remote work life position, be sure to check out the various Santa Fe co-working spaces in town!

Verdict – Excellent place if you work remote, film or healthcare. Tough if any other industry especially tourism, as most of that is Summer months.

Other Things To Know About Living in Santa Fe

Parking is very difficult in downtown Santa Fe on the weekends with events.
Reservations are recommended at restaurants (if they take them), especially on weekends.
Plan your dinner accordingly if no reservations, your must eat at restaurant might have a 2+ hour wait.
Santa Fe is the capital of New Mexico!
Santa Fe does have an airport in town about 20 minutes away! You can find good deals but most of the time Albuquerque will be the best option.

More of the Best in Santa Fe

So if you are set on moving to Santa Fe, or just want to dive into some more information about the area, check out some more of our local guides below! If you need any help with your move, please contact us!