What it's like to live in Portales
Portales is a small city in New Mexico with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and commutes that run shorter than most cities. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. Portales deals with household incomes below the national average, crime rates above the national average, a population that has been shrinking, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Short commutes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Crime above national average
- Shrinking population
- High poverty rate
- Cold winters
- Hot summers
How Portales compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to Portales
Based on Portales's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$1,806
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $36,120 a year
- 40% of Portales renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$26,680
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $13,340
- Homes cost 2.6× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 36% below US
$903/mo median rent
Rent here is genuinely low, with median rent around $903 a month. Factoring in local incomes, the value gets even better. Money stretches further here than in most of the country. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $133,400. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $133,400 · 40% of renters cost-burdened
Job market
3.8% county unemployment
Unemployment in Roosevelt County is 3.8%, close to the national average of 4.3%. That's the county-wide rate; BLS doesn't measure a place this size on its own.
Roosevelt County (county-wide)
Safety▲ 27% above US
419 violent crimes per 100k
Crime is worth weighing seriously here. Rates run above the national average, and while plenty of residents live comfortably, neighborhood selection matters a lot more than it does in a safer city.
Property crime 1230/100k · Portales Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 53% below US
12 min average commute
Commutes run short here, averaging 12.3 minutes. That's an underrated perk of living in a smaller or well-planned city, where time isn't lost sitting in traffic. 9 in 10 workers drive to work.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers are hot and humid, with highs regularly hitting 93°F, and winters are cold, with lows around 27°F and snow a regular occurrence. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
1 hospital
There's one Medicare-certified hospital inside city limits. Hospitals in neighboring towns aren't counted here.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 29% below US
25% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 25%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
6 public schools inside the boundary
There are 6 public schools inside the boundary.
Bottom line
Portales's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and crime rates above the national average. A year of median rent ($903/mo) equals 21% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget and people who want short commutes.
Other places near Portales
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