Omaha → Albuquerque
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Cons of Moving
- - 4% higher cost of living
- - $96/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
- - $4K lower median salary
- - Higher violent crime rate
- - More environmental violations
Moving from Omaha to Albuquerque shifts your BEA Regional Price Parity from 91.9 to 95.5 (100 = US average), so a Omaha salary needs to be multiplied by 1.04 to hold the same purchasing power in Albuquerque. On rent, HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom goes from $1,368/month in Omaha to $1,464/month in Albuquerque - a higher monthly bill of $96, or $1,152/year. That rent delta alone is often the single biggest line item when relocating.
Wages tell the other half. BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics report a median salary of $70,611 in Omaha versus $66,877 in Albuquerque - a raw gap of $3,734 lower. The Albuquerque labor market has 388,700 tracked jobs against 488,200 in Omaha, shaping how easy it is to find a comparable role. Combine that with the cost-of-living shift above and you get the real purchasing-power delta, sometimes a "higher salary" is actually a pay cut once rent and RPP are applied.
Safety, schools, and childcare round out the move. FBI UCR violent crime rates near Omaha and Albuquerque are 217 and 697 per 100,000 (state-level). NCES student-teacher ratios run 13.5:1 at origin versus 14:1 at destination. Our composite verdict - Unfavorable - weighs all seven federal sources; the dimension table below lets you override that with your personal priorities.
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Omaha to see what you'd need to earn in Albuquerque to maintain the same purchasing power.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Is Albuquerque more expensive than Omaha?
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Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026
Data Sources
- Cost of Living: Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA) Regional Price Parities
- Rent: HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR)
- Wages: Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OES)
- Crime: FBI Uniform Crime Reporting (UCR) - state level
- Schools: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
- Childcare: Department of Labor (DOL) - state level
- Environment: Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.