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Location: northern Vermont - previously NM, WA, & MA
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I moved here from Massachusetts just 3 weeks ago. So far I am loving it more here everyday. The weather is fantastic, the scenery is gorgeous (the sunsets/sunrises are indeed mesmorizing all over New Mexico). I find the people here for the most part friendly and approachable with a few exceptions which no place is perfect and there are some crazy drivers on the road here which surprised me.
To answer you're first question I'm doing exactly what you have in mind. I found a complex in South Santa Fe that gave me a 3 month lease for a 1br apartment for 825 a month. This is perfect for my transition while I get better aquainted with the city.
Groceries are very expensive here comparatively to other parts of the country. Though you have to shop around and hit the right stores at the right time. Albertsons gave me quite the sticker shock. Smith's seems to have a good number of items on sale so they are a bit more reasonable. Sunflowers is a natural grocer/organic/health food store that actually has pretty decent prices for that calibur store, definitely better than Whole Foods. For a smaller city there is an impressive variety of places to shop for groceries and other retail stores here. One of my favorite things about living here is the food, it's awesome. Dining out can be resonably priced away from the Plaza, which there are some very good restaurants all around the city, some of the most popular ones are by the Railyard (Tomasitas, Cowgirl, Zia Diner) and quite good.
I think on 28K you should do fine here. Like anywhere a dual income household always makes life easier. I really do love it here though, I am very happy with my decision to move here.
In general, ABQ is the transportation hub and more people means more stores and more competition. Just about anything is going to be cheaper in ABQ, but not IMO grossly so. For a homeowner, for somethings, it is worth the trip -- but you are not be buying multiple pallets of Mexican tile. Taos is even further from ABQ and just about everything is going to be more expensive there.
If I were single and alone I would try to live somewhere in the area slightly south of DeVargas Mall which would be close to the railyard district. You'd have walking access to entertainment/restaurants and the best good quality grocery shopping in the entire county and Albertson's has regular prices. Use the other stores to pick up their specials but avoid every day shopping there. I have lived other places, Santa Fe groceries are averaged price except for fruit and vegetables which can be excellent at great prices. 10 limes for a dollar? Never got that anywhere else.
There's a nice park and you won't have to pay for parking. (But grocery shopping away from this area can be pretty bad. Los Alamos, Eldorado (I'm guessing about the latter) would be good however. Neither would be IMO the right place for a single person.
Can you afford it? Not easy, but if you walk, bike, or take the bus to work, you wouldn't need a car. You want to get out of town, then take a bus (or maybe a casino shuttle). You can take the train to ABQ. If you are not already doing so, learn to buy off the web -- Amazon.com and eBay (the latter with only the highest rated sellers). You can save a bundle and the reviews point you to better stuff. Sometimes the best or near best is the cheapest.
You could live a very good life. You could have a lot more money and live worse -- many do.
It's way more affordable to live on $28,000 a year than the same salary in, say, San Francisco, New York or Massachusetts. Since that's what I'm used to, also Connecticut, there you have it. And at times in my life I've had to live in the Bay Area or New York on way less than that.
On what it costs to live in Santa Fe, even if I have to teach in Albuquerque I'll still be way better off.
That commute would be way shorter and easier than what I've had to deal with commuting to San Francisco from.
I moved here from Massachusetts just 3 weeks ago. So far I am loving it more here everyday. The weather is fantastic, the scenery is gorgeous (the sunsets/sunrises are indeed mesmorizing all over New Mexico). I find the people here for the most part friendly and approachable with a few exceptions which no place is perfect and there are some crazy drivers on the road here which surprised me.
To answer you're first question I'm doing exactly what you have in mind. I found a complex in South Santa Fe that gave me a 3 month lease for a 1br apartment for 825 a month. This is perfect for my transition while I get better aquainted with the city.
Groceries are very expensive here comparatively to other parts of the country. Though you have to shop around and hit the right stores at the right time. Albertsons gave me quite the sticker shock. Smith's seems to have a good number of items on sale so they are a bit more reasonable. Sunflowers is a natural grocer/organic/health food store that actually has pretty decent prices for that calibur store, definitely better than Whole Foods. For a smaller city there is an impressive variety of places to shop for groceries and other retail stores here. One of my favorite things about living here is the food, it's awesome. Dining out can be resonably priced away from the Plaza, which there are some very good restaurants all around the city, some of the most popular ones are by the Railyard (Tomasitas, Cowgirl, Zia Diner) and quite good.
I think on 28K you should do fine here. Like anywhere a dual income household always makes life easier. I really do love it here though, I am very happy with my decision to move here.
If the drivers on the road seem crazy it's because they're probably drunk; that's the biggest thing in New Mexico for the police department. DUI's. It's why your insurance rates didn't go down as much as you thought they should have But other than that, coming from New England, it probably feels like The Promised Land.
When I was out in Sante Fe, I didn't think groceries were really any higher than anywhere else I had lived. Gas, on the other hand, was a LOT higher. Now, if you bike to work, that won't really affect you...and I made sure I lived close to work (so I did drive, but I didn't use much gas). I think I put a total of 6,000 miles on my car during that first year, but that included two trips back to MO.
I can honestly say that I never ate so well as I did when I lived in Santa Fe. Tomasitas was fabulous, and I think that's why my parents say that if I have to move again (translation they don't want me to, but know I'm itching to get back to NM), they vote that I try to get a nursing job in Santa Fe over say Albuquerque.
I'm also looking at 1 bdrm apts & trying to figure what the "+ utilities" might be for small apt. Know they flucutate during summer/winter. Thanx and apprciate any insight.
For a 1BR/1BA I'd figure $50 - 60 per month for all utilities. That breaks down to $30/mo for water/sewer/trash and $20-30/mo for electric and or gas. Variables include where you set your thermostat and the age of the rental, as older places are less energy efficient. Some people consider phone/tv cable/computer access as "utilities", but those costs would be on top of those I estimated above.
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