Santa Fe vs Westminster
The short version
- Santa Fe is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 7% lower than in the Westminster area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $444,900 in Santa Fe and $532,400 in Westminster.
- Households earn more in Westminster ($100,272 vs $73,482 median).
- Westminster gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 20.
- Santa Fe is growing faster: +2.7% since 2020 vs -0.4%.
- Commutes are shorter in Santa Fe (21 vs 27 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Santa Fe, NM | Westminster, CO | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 89,837 | 116,182 |
| Growth since 2020 | +2.7% | -0.4% |
| People per square mile | 1,720 | 3,674 |
| Median age | 46.3 | 37.4 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 48% | 45% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $73,482 | $100,272 |
| Median home value | $444,900 | $532,400 |
| Home value to income | 6.1× | 5.3× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,463 | $1,882 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 98.8 | 105.8 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 108.0 | 146.9 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $74,100 | $79,300 |
| Homeowners | 64% | 62% |
| Top state income tax | 5.9% | 4.4% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.68% | 7.89% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 21.0 | 27.0 |
| Work from home | 17% | 22% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 5.1% | 3.7% |
| Poverty rate | 12.9% | 7.3% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 43° / 18° | 47° / 18° |
| July high / low | 86° / 55° | 90° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 13 in | 15 in |
| Snowfall per year | 20 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 24 | 42 |
| Nights below freezing | 168 | 156 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively Moderate | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 86.0 | 91.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 78% | 29% |
| Home prices, past year | +4% | -0.5% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +42% | +21.4% |
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: Santa Fe: June to September. Westminster: May to June and September.
Full monthly tables: Santa Fe weather by month and Westminster weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $74,100 in Santa Fe and $79,300 in Westminster. Moving from Santa Fe to Westminster, you would need about $80,300 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Santa Fe and Westminster
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Santa Fe and Westminster.
Which would you pick?
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