Loveland vs Santa Fe
The short version
- Santa Fe is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 2% lower than in the Loveland area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $444,900 in Santa Fe and $479,000 in Loveland.
- Households earn more in Loveland ($84,604 vs $73,482 median).
- Loveland gets far more snow: 47 inches a year vs 20.
- Loveland is growing faster: +6.6% since 2020 vs +2.7%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Fe (21 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Loveland, CO | Santa Fe, NM | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 81,387 | 89,837 |
| Growth since 2020 | +6.6% | +2.7% |
| People per square mile | 2,271 | 1,720 |
| Median age | 40.7 | 46.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 39% | 48% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $84,604 | $73,482 |
| Median home value | $479,000 | $444,900 |
| Home value to income | 5.7× | 6.1× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,730 | $1,463 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 101.1 | 98.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 120.6 | 108.0 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,800 | $74,100 |
| Homeowners | 62% | 64% |
| Top state income tax | 4.4% | 5.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.89% | 7.68% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 26.2 | 21.0 |
| Work from home | 20% | 17% |
| Take public transit | 0% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.4% | 5.1% |
| Poverty rate | 8.5% | 12.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 44° / 13° | 43° / 18° |
| July high / low | 89° / 55° | 86° / 55° |
| Precipitation per year | 16 in | 13 in |
| Snowfall per year | 47 in | 20 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 38 | 24 |
| Nights below freezing | 174 | 168 |
| Comfortable months | 2 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 90.1 | 86.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 51% | 78% |
| Home prices, past year | +0.2% | +4% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +29.3% | +42% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Loveland: June and September. Santa Fe: June to September.
Full monthly tables: Loveland weather by month and Santa Fe weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,800 in Loveland and $74,100 in Santa Fe. Moving from Loveland to Santa Fe, you would need about $73,200 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Loveland and Santa Fe
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Loveland and Santa Fe.
Which would you pick?
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