CitytisticsShortlist

Eldorado at Santa Fe, NM vs Marine on St. Croix, MN

Eldorado at Santa Fe

New Mexico

vs

Marine on St. Croix

Minnesota

Across 29 directional measures we can compare, Eldorado at Santa Fe leads on 13 and Marine on St. Croix on 16. Counting measures is not an overall verdict: their importance depends on your priorities. Median rent is 12% higher in Eldorado at Santa Fe, while median household income is higher in Marine on St. Croix.

Median gross rent
$2,526$2,250
Eldorado at Santa Fe is 12% higher
Median household income
$106,633$126,250
Eldorado at Santa Fe is 16% lower
Median home value
$591,900$470,100
Eldorado at Santa Fe is 26% higher

The Citytistics read

  • After the median rent, with other prices set to the US average, the median household has about $78,800 a year left in Eldorado at Santa Fe and $96,000 in Marine on St. Croix. Money goes further in Marine on St. Croix, by about $17,200 a year.
  • A household earning Eldorado at Santa Fe's median of $106,633 would need about $108,500 in Marine on St. Croix to keep the same money after rent and local prices.
  • Between the 2019 and 2024 surveys, rent outran pay by 2.5 points a year in Eldorado at Santa Fe, and rent outran pay by 6.3 points a year in Marine on St. Croix.

How these are calculated

MinnesotaNew MexicoMarine on St. Croix, MNEldorado at Santa Fe, NMEldorado at Santa FeMarine on St. CroixEldorado at Santa FeMarine on St. Croix

Which fits you?

Both start on the Citytistics Index (CTX). Move the sliders to weigh what matters to you and the score becomes your own mix.

Your weights

Top 1 of 1 matching places. Places in the top 1% show their national rank.

#PlaceCTXAffordabilityEconomyEducationSafetyCommuteAmenitiesGrowth
01Eldorado at Santa Fe, NMComposite 45.8 / 100
39
135994n/a1263n/a

CTX is the Citytistics Index: better than that share of the places we rate. It tops out at 99, so the top 1% show their national rank (#1 is best). Change any weight to rank on your own mix. How the CTX is built

Every measure

The dots show where each place sits among the 6,645 places we track. The bar is the median. A small dot after a value marks the better one.

MeasureEldorado at Santa FeMarine on St. CroixAmong all places
Cost of living
Median gross rent1$2,526$2,250
Rent to income128.4%21.4%
Property tax rate10.5%1.0%
Home price to income15.5x3.7x
Prices vs US average298.8104.8
Fair market rent, 2 bedrooms3$1,735$1,734
HUD area median income4$118,600$131,500
Housing
Property tax paid (median)1$2,870$4,559
Median home value1$591,900$470,100
Home prices, 1-year change50.8%1.8%
Home prices, 5-year change548.3%35.0%
Homeownership195.8%94.4%
Renters paying 30%+151.0%51.1%
Owner costs with a mortgage1$2,250$2,484
Vacant homes14.6%3.4%
Median year built119931962
Jobs and income
Median household income1$106,633$126,250
Income per person1$66,723$64,993
Unemployment15.3%0.0%
Average annual pay6$64,379$63,636
Pay growth, 1 year65.2%4.8%
Jobs661,88096,635
Poverty rate18.4%5.1%
Mean commute133 min32 min
Works from home128.6%30.4%
Commutes by transit10.8%0.0%
People
Population15,619740
Population change since 20207n/a-0.6%
Median age163.257.3
Bachelor's or higher168.0%69.9%
High school or higher199.0%99.1%
Household size12.12.3
Born abroad110.5%8.5%
No health insurance12.7%3.5%
Homes with broadband197.9%96.9%
Moving
Moved here in the past year15.3%6.8%
Moved from another state13.4%1.7%
Net movers per 1,000 people80.77.9
Income of households moving in8$93,607$81,212
Income of households moving out8$82,671$84,944
Local life
Restaurants and bars per 10k925.616.0
Shops per 10k950.825.3
Arts, recreation and fitness per 10k910.05.8
Doctors' offices and clinics per 10k928.619.5
Child care centers per 10k91.02.4
Parks per 10k103.6n/a
Playgrounds per 10k107.1n/a
Grocery stores per 10k105.3n/a
Restaurants, cafes and bars per 10k108.9n/a
Libraries per 10k103.6n/a
Named paths and bike trails108.6n/a
Transit stops per sq mi100.1n/a
Nearest National Park Service site1113.8n/a
National Park Service sites within 60 miles115n/a
National Register listings12974
Schools
Public schools134997
Public school students1319,95146,165
Students per teacher1314.017.8
Climate
July average high1485°F82°F
January average low1419°F6°F
Average temperature1450°F45°F
Annual precipitation1414.8 in33.0 in
Hazards and air
Natural hazard risk1586.083.9
Tornado risk1524.594.4
Wildfire risk1598.264.0
Heat wave risk1553.080.3
Median air quality index164434
Good air days1678.4%94.9%

Data bundle checked 2026-11-14; individual source vintages vary. Rent needed at the 30% line: Eldorado at Santa Fe $101,040, Marine on St. Croix $90,000 a year.

Sources and methods

The small numbers beside each measure point here. Links go to the publisher.

  1. American Community Survey 5-year estimates · US Census Bureau · 2020 to 2024 estimatesTables B01002, B01003, B05002, B07003, B08013, B08301, B15003, B17001, B19013, B19301, B23025, B25002, B25003, B25010, B25035, B25064, B25070, B25077, B25088, B25103, B28002, S2701
  2. Regional Price Parities · US Bureau of Economic Analysis · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  3. Fair Market Rents · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2027
  4. Income Limits · US Department of Housing and Urban Development · Fiscal year 2026
  5. House Price Index · Federal Housing Finance Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14
  6. Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages · US Bureau of Labor Statistics · 2025 annual averages
  7. Population Estimates · US Census Bureau · Vintage 2025
  8. SOI Tax Stats, county-to-county migration · Internal Revenue Service · Tax years 2022 to 2023Counts tax returns and the people on them; flows under 20 returns are suppressed.
  9. County Business Patterns · US Census Bureau · 2023 data
  10. OpenStreetMap · © OpenStreetMap contributors, available under the Open Database License (ODbL) · Map data as of 2026-11
  11. National Park Service sites · Wikidata (CC0), units operated by the National Park Service · Retrieved 2026-11
  12. National Register of Historic Places · National Park Service · Listings through 2026-05-22
  13. Common Core of Data · National Center for Education Statistics · 2024 release
  14. 1991-2020 climate normals · NOAA National Centers for Environmental Information · Series updated 2026-11-05Averages for 1991 to 2020 computed from NOAA's county climate series (nClimDiv).nClimDiv county series
  15. National Risk Index · Federal Emergency Management Agency · Latest release, retrieved 2026-11-14NRI data and maps
  16. Air Quality System, annual AQI by county · US Environmental Protection Agency · 2025 dataAirData download files

Derived by Citytistics from the tables above: rent to income (B25064, B19013); property tax rate (B25103, B25077); home price to income (B25077, B19013).

Survey figures are estimates with margins of error. Formulas and definitions: methodology.

Keep comparing

Other places people weigh against these two, and each one in full.