Advantages & Disadvantages of Moving to Albuquerque
You think about moving to Albuquerque but still want to get additional information about the city and its lifestyle before making your final decision in this regard?
Great! This article is exactly for you since I will show you all the pros and cons of living in Albuquerque in the following chapters.
Living in Albuquerque – Overview
Climate | Albuquerque has a dry and sunny climate with pretty warm summers and relatively cold winters. |
Housing | Demand for housing, property prices and rents in Albuquerque are relatively low compared to other major cities in the US. |
Income | Median household income in Albuquerque is below national average and many people struggle to make good money in this region. |
Crime | Crime rates in Albuquerque are significantly above national average and Albuquerque is considered a pretty unsafe city. |
Education | Hard to find really good schools and colleges in Albuquerque, overall education level is below national average. |
Job Market | Albuquerque has an above-average unemployment rate and many people fear losing their jobs. |
Culture | Albuquerque is a multicultural city where people from many different backgrounds live and work together. |
Leisure Activities | You can go to the movies, book clubs or do many other things you are used to from living in a big city. |
Landscape | Albuquerque is surrounded by a desert-like environment and it is therefore hard to find many things to do in nature. |
Infrastructure | Public transport is pretty poor and overall public infrastructure in Albuquerque is not as good as in other major cities. |
Level of Tolerance | Albuquerque is a pretty tolerant place where people are welcome from all over the world. |
Nightlife | Albuquerque doesn’t have the same great nightlife as NYC or other major cities. |
Total Population | 591,826 inhabitants. |

Advantages of Living in Albuquerque
- Property prices in Albuquerque are still low
- Rents are affordable for the general public
- Housing shortage is not a big problem in Albuquerque yet
- Competition in the housing market is rather low
- You will find a decent place to stay pretty quickly
- You can enjoy good weather in Albuquerque
- People in Albuquerque are open and tolerant
- People are welcome from all parts of the world
- Albuquerque is not the most crowded city
- You don’t have to waste lots of time in traffic
- You can try many different foods in Albuquerque
- People from other states consider moving to Albuquerque
- Population in Albuquerque is growing
- Decent future outlook for Albuquerque
- Albuquerque has an international airport
- Albuquerque has a decent art scene
- Albuquerque has decent air quality
Property prices in Albuquerque are still low
One upside to moving to Albuquerque is that property prices are still fairly low compared to many other major cities and this allows you to buy property at a rather low price and your mortgage payments will also be much lower compared to people moving to San Francisco who often have to spend lots of money in this regard.
Rents are affordable for the general public
Not only property prices are pretty low, but also rents are still affordable in Albuquerque and the average person therefore doesn’t have to spend lots of money on housing and will have more disposable money left to spend on other things compared to people living in more expensive regions.
Housing shortage is not a big problem in Albuquerque yet
Since demand for housing in Albuquerque is rather low, housing shortage is also not a big problem in this region yet and you will have many decent housing options to choose from.
Competition in the housing market is rather low
Also overall competition in the housing market is rather low and this means that you will often be able to make a real bargain when it comes to buying a home since you will not have as many bidders who can drive prices up as in other major regions.
You will find a decent place to stay pretty quickly
Another advantage of moving to Albuquerque is that you will also find a decent place to stay rather soon while people moving to Los Angeles or other more popular regions often have to spend many weeks or even months in this regard.
You can enjoy good weather in Albuquerque
Albuquerque can also be a great place to live since the weather is awesome and you will have many sunny days and will also not have to deal with rain as much as most other people.
People in Albuquerque are open and tolerant
Another benefit of moving to Albuquerque is that people are friendly and tolerant and you can therefore connect and socialize pretty easily and will be able to make many new friends in the long run.
People are welcome from all parts of the world
Since people in Albuquerque are tolerant, it also doesn’t matter where you come from.
As long as you are a great gal or girl, you will be welcome from all parts of the world and can really have a great time with many other like-minded people.
Albuquerque is not the most crowded city
Another advantage of living in Albuquerque is that it is not the most crowded city and this gives you more than enough opportunities to hang out in public places without running into people on a regular basis so that you can be alone and think about serious things that may bother you right now and don’t get distracted by many other people.
You don’t have to waste lots of time in traffic
Since traffic is not a big problem in Albuquerque and the city is still not as crowded as other major metropolitan regions, you also don’t have to spend lots of time in traffic jams and can use your leisure much more efficiently.
You can try many different foods in Albuquerque
Another upside to living in Albuquerque is that thanks to many different cultural influences, there are also many great restaurants and foods to try and you will also get lots of inspiration regarding what to cook at home in the long run.
People from other states consider moving to Albuquerque
Albuquerque also becomes increasingly popular by people from other states and if this trend continues, many people may move to Albuquerque and the city may become more popular in the future.
Population in Albuquerque is growing
You should also note that population in Albuquerque has been growing over the past decade and this also indicates that this region may still be underrated and a great place to live.
Decent future outlook for Albuquerque
Another benefit of living in Albuquerque is that the city also has a pretty decent future outlook.
Since it is the biggest city in New Mexico, the city will do everything to make it an attractive place to live for many decades and you can really benefit from that by moving to Albuquerque right now.
Albuquerque has an international airport
Moving to Albuquerque may also make sense in case you are a globetrotter and want to travel the world on a regular basis.
In such a case, you can travel to many international destinations without having to deal with layovers and can therefore get from A to B in a pretty efficient manner.
Albuquerque has a decent art scene
You should also know that Albuquerque has a pretty decent art scene and if you are an artist or just interested in art, you will find many like-minded people to hang out with and can have a great time together.
Albuquerque has decent air quality
Compared to other major cities, Albuquerque has pretty decent air quality and you will therefore be at lower risk of suffering from serious pulmonary issues compared to people living in regions where air quality is much worse.
As you can see, there are many reasons for moving to Albuquerque.
However, there are also many drawbacks to living in Albuquerque that I want to address for you in the following so that you can better decide whether you still want to move to Albuquerque or rather want to live in a different region instead.

Disadvantages of Living in Albuquerque
- Crime rates in Albuquerque are pretty high
- Many people don’t feel safe in Albuquerque anymore
- Unemployment is a problem in Albuquerque
- Property prices have already increased significantly
- Average person may struggle to afford to live in Albuquerque in the future
- Increasing level of inequality in Albuquerque
- Many people live below the poverty line
- Homelessness is a big problem in Albuquerque
- Albuquerque doesn’t offer great nightlife
- Albuquerque is not the best place for bikers
- Public transport in Albuquerque is rather poor
- Landscape in Albuquerque is not great
- Albuquerque is not very popular among tourists
- Friends from other cities may be hesitant to visit you
- Your loved ones may always worry about your well-being
- Albuquerque is not a glamorous city
- Hard to meet celebrities in Albuquerque
- Hard to build a strong business network
- Albuquerque doesn’t have great tap water
- Not many great sports teams in Albuquerque
- Education level is rather low
Crime rates in Albuquerque are pretty high
One downside to moving to Albuquerque is that the city has pretty high crime rates and if you are a careful person, you may rather want to move to a safer place instead.
Many people don’t feel safe in Albuquerque anymore
Due to high crime rates, many people in Albuquerque often have to worry quite a lot about their loved ones and also just don’t feel safe in this region anymore which may greatly lower overall quality of life.
Unemployment is a problem in Albuquerque
Another problem with moving to Albuquerque is that unemployment rate is higher compared to national average and many people struggle to find good jobs and also have to worry about getting laid off on a regular basis.
Property prices have already increased significantly
While property prices in Albuquerque are still relatively low, they have already increased significantly over the past decade and you will therefore no longer be able to make the same bargain as people who bought just a couple of years ago.
Average person may struggle to afford to live in Albuquerque in the future
Many people who just make enough money to survive right now may also seriously struggle to pay their bills in the future in case rents increase further and this may lead to all sorts of social problems in the long run.
Increasing level of inequality in Albuquerque
Also the gap between the poor and the rich is about to increase in Albuquerque and this may further contribute to increasing crime rates and may also deteriorate social cohesion in the long run.
Many people live below the poverty line
You should also know that many people in Albuquerque don’t make good money and live below the poverty line.
Thus, they have to worry about their financial standing on a daily basis and may also get in financial trouble rather easily and the same could happen to you in case you don’t have a solid emergency fund.
Homelessness is a big problem in Albuquerque
Another disadvantage of moving to Albuquerque is that homelessness is a big problem and many people just end up homeless in the streets sooner or later since they are just no longer able to pay for rent and get evicted from their property sooner or later.
Albuquerque doesn’t offer great nightlife
You should also know that nightlife in Albuquerque is not as great as in many other major cities and if you are a party person, you may get bored in this regard pretty soon and may wish to move to Chicago or other major cities where there is a much bigger variety in this regard.
Albuquerque is not the best place for bikers
Another downside to living in Albuquerque is that it is also not the best place to get around by bicycle and there are many accidents in this regard.
Public transport in Albuquerque is rather poor
You should also know that public transport in Albuquerque is pretty poor and it is hard to get around by bus or train in an efficient manner.
Consequently, you may have to rely on your car to get around and this is not only bad for your finances but also for our environment.
Landscape in Albuquerque is not great
Compared to people living in Oakland or other beautiful places, Albuquerque also doesn’t have lots of beautiful nature and is rather surrounded by desert-like environments.
Hence, you may also not be able to spend lots of time in beautiful nature and this may lower your overall quality of life in the long run.
Albuquerque is not very popular among tourists
It is also hard to meet many tourists in Albuquerque since the city is just not as popular as other major metropolitan regions for people from different countries and it may therefore be pretty hard for you to connect with people from other nations.
Friends from other cities may be hesitant to visit you
Your friends may also not understand your decision of moving to Albuquerque and may also not want to visit you in this town often since the city doesn’t have the best reputation and your friends may also worry about high crime rates and about their safety in general.
Your loved ones may always worry about your well-being
Another problem with living in Albuquerque is that your loved ones will also often worry about your well-being since Albuquerque is a pretty unsafe place and you may therefore impose a significant emotional burden on your friends by moving to Albuquerque.
Albuquerque is not a glamorous city
You should also note that Albuquerque is not the most glamorous city and if you want to be at the center of the universe and want to have entertainment 24/7, you may be better off moving to other bigger cities.
Hard to meet celebrities in Albuquerque
You will also have a hard time meeting many celebrities in Albuquerque and if your goal is to meet many of your idols, you will be far better off living in a more popular city.
Hard to build a strong business network
Since Albuquerque is not the most popular city and the labor market is somewhat difficult, it is also harder to build a strong business network in Albuquerque compared to many other big cities and this may slow down your overall career progress.
Albuquerque doesn’t have great tap water
Another disadvantage of living in Albuquerque is that the city doesn’t have great tap water and you may therefore rather want to rely on bottled water from the store and this may cost you lots of time and money in the long run.
Not many great sports teams in Albuquerque
You will also not find many great sports teams in Albuquerque and may rather get bored in this region as a sports fan in the long run.
Education level is rather low
You will also have a hard time finding world-class education in Albuquerque and should therefore rather move to Boston in this regard.

Top 10 Moving To Albuquerque Pros & Cons – Summary List
Living in Albuquerque Pros | Living in Albuquerque Cons |
---|---|
Albuquerque is a tolerant city | Unemployment rate in Albuquerque is pretty high |
Property prices are still rather low | Albuquerque has high crime rates |
Average person can still afford a decent home | Albuquerque doesn’t have great nightlife |
Living costs in Albuquerque are rather low | Poverty is a problem in Albuquerque |
People are welcome from all parts of the world | Increasing level of inequality |
Easy to socialize in Albuquerque | Low education levels in Albuquerque |
Albuquerque has decent air quality | Tap water quality is pretty poor |
Good weather in Albuquerque | Albuquerque has a rather poor reputation |
Albuquerque is a great city for artists | You may get bored in Albuquerque in the long run |
Population in Albuquerque is growing | Not many good sports teams in Albuquerque |
Is Albuquerque A Good Place To Live?
While living and housing costs in Albuquerque are pretty low and people in Albuquerque are friendly and tolerant, you should also know that public transport is rather poor and that unemployment is a big problem. Moreover, crime rates are pretty high and many people therefore don’t feel safe in Albuquerque anymore and rather want to move to other places instead.
Alternative Cities To Live In
If you don’t want to move to Albuquerque anymore, you should also have a look at the following articles:
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Louisville
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Baltimore
Advantages and disadvantages of living in Milwaukee
Sources
https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/albuquerquecitynewmexico

About the author
This site is about living, moving and traveling to various parts of our fascinating planet.
My name is Andreas and when I was younger, I traveled the world and learned a lot about different cultures and countries.
Thus, I want to share my experiences with you so that you can benefit from them and avoid common mistakes in this regard.
In my articles, you will find everything you need to find the best location for a happy and successful life.