Santa Fe's housing prices, while never cheap, have skyrocketed since the pandemic. It's now an expensive place to live.
As a former resident, these observations:
* Anglo Santa Fe's population skews toward older people, and toward couples. My younger friends there refer to New Mexico as the "Land of Entrapment".
* Access to health care can be iffy. A common topic at cocktail parties is for people to discuss how they leave the state (for Mayo/Scottsdale, or MD Anderson, as examples) for many procedures.
* Access to basic service providers can be frustrating. A plumber? Good luck. Getting an appointment honored? Maybe.
* If you enjoy air travel, you'll shlep to ABQ, but even then your non-stop choices are few. Get used to dealing with transit through DFW, among others.
* It's an early-to-bed town. The sidewalks roll up by 8:30pm.
* A goodly percentage of the population are part-time residents....predominantly wealthy Texans who flee Houston in the summer.
* Santa Fe has never been known as a well-run city. Getting home renovation plans approved now can take a very long time....and only if within the city's very narrow guidelines.
* Once the opera and chamber music seasons end in mid/late August, cultural life slows to a trickle.
Yes, the climate can be wonderful. Ditto the restaurants, albeit at a cost. The full-time residents are decently friendly. But know what you're getting into.