Living in Irvine, California, is a life-changing moment for people who want to experience a safe city with a strong economy, top-tier institutions, as well as good weather. Compared to Albuquerque, where you can enjoy a low cost of living, but your security is uncertain, this city is exceptional.
Irvine City in Orange County, California, will provide you with a lavish lifestyle where you can have a decent job while living in one of America’s safest places. Your kids will appreciate the top-graded schools while experiencing the best weather in the metropolitan.
Albuquerque, although striving to tail Irvine in the job market expansion, is still an incredible place to adore the low cost of living and lots of cultural and environmental perks. It would help if you found better means to make ends meet in this relatively isolated town.
Both cities have their things to boast. A handy list of comparable aspects will help you decide where to move.
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What Are the Pros and Cons of Albuquerque Versus Irvine?
Albuquerque is a lively New Mexico city where you can find lower-cost bills and food, but be watchful of your security when exploring certain areas. Irvine in Orange County is your gateway to a high standard of living with a growing economy and a greener city, but be prepared to pay a high living expense.
Living in Albuquerque versus Irvine has its negatives and positives where you can compare which city you are likely to relocate to in the future.
Living in Albuquerque
- Cheap Bills to Pay
- The Festivals Are Great
- Enjoy the Rio Grande Wild Life
- A Bee-Friendly City
The cost of living in Albuquerque in New Mexico is relatively lower than the national average. You can pay fewer fees on essential commodities such as energy, gas, water, and phone bills. The city also is inexpensive when you buy your groceries at their local market.
You can check out Shamrock Foodservices Warehouse and Eurozone Distributors to avail the lowest prices for your daily needs.
Living in Albuquerque will make your life colorful with its vibrant festivals almost every month. The famous International Balloon Festival is no exception to the rule. There are various sites where you can enjoy these outdoor events without going away too far from the city proper.
The famous New Mexico State Fair is a big happening that will flock lots of locals and tourists who want to enjoy good food and carnivals. Grand festivities in town will require you to ready your mouth for a delightful treat and eyes for a stunning view.
One fantastic thing to do in Albuquerque is to appreciate the wildlife in their famous Rio Grande Valley State Park. Take a relaxing and safe float down the river by yourself, or you can book a tour with your family.
The Paseo del Bosque Trail and Calabacillas Arroyo offer low-creation open-air activities, backpacking, and mountain climbing. Also, don’t ignore to pay a visit to another educational place in the Rio Grande Nature Center.
Albuquerque collaborated with Burque Bee City as the first Bee City USA located in the Southwest. The city focuses on nurturing bees and understanding their benefits to the ecosystem.
Beer enthusiasts will appreciate the town’s dedication to establishing the Open Space Visitor Center and the Albuquerque Bees Center, which handle colonies to educate people in the New Mexico state certified beekeeping program.
Cons
- Safety Wise: ABQ Is Not So Ideal
- Low Salaries
There are still bad areas in Albuquerque that need the attention of police authorities because of their increasing criminal record. High violent crime and property crime levels, poor living conditions, and inadequate education are just a few of several causes why the Jackson Area is among Albuquerque’s worst neighborhoods.
You will need to find a safer community inside the city to live peacefully, though.
The relatively low salaries of different industries in Albuquerque cause a problem for its people. ABQ’s hourly wage is $24, less than the national average of around $27. Only a few industries pay more than the average annual salary.
Protective service, arts, design, entertainment, and legal were 17 industries with substantially lower wage levels than the national average.
Living in Irvine
- The Safest City in the USA
- Your Career will Flourish Here
- Top-School for Everyone
- A Green City Campaign
- The Perfect Weather
Living in Irvine is secured because it has been dubbed the safest place for over 15 years and even internationally. The local government makes sure that the city maintains its lowest crime rate by providing good communication to its people.
The outstanding results of its low violent crime rate make the place more appealing to people who prioritize their safety as deciding factors before moving into a new neighborhood. Irvine is undoubtedly outstanding in this area.
Irvine will provide you with top companies with high-paying salaries to pursue your career. There are tons of brilliant industry that creates a doorway to new hires and people who want to start a new life by choosing to settle in the city.
Irvine’s predicted future employment growth rate of 40.2 % exceeds the national rate.
Working professionals in Irvine have many employment options to choose from, including innovation giants such as Google and Blizzard Entertainment, Amazon, Toshiba, and medical companies like Endologix.
Irvine is a top-grade city where you can avail of good educational benefits from preschool to collegiate levels. Multiple private and public schools are exceptionally better performing than others.
Santiago Hills Elementary provides holistic learning outcomes and is also among the top 5% of all California schools regarding standardized tests. At the same time, the well-known University of California Irvine is also a notable institution in town.
Irvine is striving to be a better city with its green advocacy. The city’s waste disposal is fantastic, and recycling is welcome and encouraged. Many novel initiatives redirect waste materials away, making it a better move to a pollution-free city.
The area receives nearly 300 sunny days, and winter weather is nonexistent. That implies you can splurge the enormous amount of time outside, taking advantage of all of Irvine’s unique creature comforts.
This lovely mild weather allures several older people who don’t want snow on their rooftop or front entryways.
Cons
- Increased Commodity Prices
- Snow is Scarce
- Metrolink Does Not Serve Irvine in California
Irvine City will charge you more than other cities in its class. The high housing prices mainly influence the high cost. If you have a large family with dependent kids, you will most likely spend around $10,000 per month.
High living costs in the metropolitan area are still not a significant disadvantage if you have a high-paying job.
The City of Irvine does not have a good winter season, so if you enjoy celebrating the snow, this is not the place for you. There is a great scarcity of snow in the lower part of the city.
You will not be able to experience a white Christmas or perhaps even ice skiing. Since there are no substantial seasonal shifts in the community, cold lovers avoid this location.
Public transportation options are limited because a significant railway network does not serve Irvine. However, because the city seems to be quite large, having a car is required if you intend to drive to a particular neighborhood.
The advantages of which are that nice weather allow you to walk or bike around without being bored by the stunning scenery.
Albuquerque Or Irvine – Which Is More Expensive?
Living in Irvine will make you pay your dues and commodities higher than the national average. The costly accommodation and even taxes make it more expensive than the budget-friendly Albuquerque.
Irvine is one of the high-paying cities when we talk about living expenses. The city exceeds the national average in the overall living indexes.
Comparison Table of Living in Albuquerque, New Mexico vs. Irvine, California
| Living Expenses | Albuquerque, New Mexico | Irvine, California |
| Housing and Rent | 88% | 373.93% |
| Utilities | 97.2% | 98.3% |
| Food And Groceries | 96% | 105.6% |
| Transportation | 89.4% | 111% |
| Health | 81.1% | 95.9% |
| Miscellaneous | 97.1% | 104.8% |
Based on the Data of which 100 = U.S. National Average
>100 means more expensive
<100 means cheaper than the U.S. average
Housing and Rent Costs
Accommodation in Irvine is a luxury, about $864,400, which is 76.5% costlier than Albuquerque. The rental fee in the city is also double that of ABQ. You can lease an apartment in ABQ for only $1,339, while it will be $3,176 in Irvine.
Utility Costs
Irvine is slightly more expensive than ABQ, with a difference of only 1.1%. The living state in the city is why there is higher pricing on primary utility consumption. One factor is an additional cost for garbage collection in Irvine, with a standard monthly collection of $13.01.
Food and Groceries Costs
Essential food and groceries in Irvine are costly, with 5.6% higher than the national average. A three-course meal in Irvine will make you pay about 100 dollars, while the same food will cost you only $60 in ABQ.
Transportation Costs
Living in Irvine will cost you more money than living in ABQ. The bus fare in the metropolitan area is three times the ticket price in ABQ. A single ride costs $4 in Irvine but only $1 in Albuquerque. However, both cities share common grounds on having a sole public transit.
Health Care Costs
Irvine’s health spending is marginally more remarkable than those in Albuquerque, although neither city’s costs exceed the national average. The 14.8 % distinction between the two is affected by the performance of medical services in each area. Irvine has the majority of its facilities ranked top.
Taxes
Irvine City’s unified sales tax rate is 7.75 %, markedly smaller than Albuquerque’s 7.88 %. Irvine still has a reasonably low property tax rate of 0.82 %, whereas ABQ has a rate of 1.05 %. Owning a property in Irvine is still a good idea because of its favorable tax dues.
Is Albuquerque Safer Than Irvine?
Because of its increased criminal culpability, Albuquerque is not as secure as Irvine. On the other hand, Irvine City is the safest place in the entire United States.
For the 12 good years in a row, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has designated Irvine as a safe metropolitan area. Irvine ranks first among cities where safety is the primary draw. The crime rate at the premises is lower than the national average.
Violent crime in Irvine does not even reach 25% of the national index for criminal rate. ABQ is far behind the statistics of Irvine, where their records speak a lot on how your safety is at risk when you explore the neighborhood.
Is Albuquerque Bigger Than Irvine?
Albuquerque has 562,540 inhabitants on its 187.2 square mile land, whereas Irvine has 283,700 citizens on only 67 square miles. Because of this differential, ABQ is considerably larger than Irvine.
Albuquerque has a good ratio of inhabitants and a more extensive land area, where the population density is 3,004.7 per square mile. Meanwhile, the increasing number of people living in Irvine makes its population density about 4,325.9 per square mile.
Irvine is small compared to ABQ, and its restricted total area is a stumbling block to the metropolitan area’s increasing population.
Is Albuquerque Warmer Than Irvine?
Irvine is a one-weather metropolitan area, with many sunshine hours, steaming hot summers, and no snow, making it warmer than Albuquerque. Irvine also gets less rain than ABQ, and hot days are the mainstream.
Even if Albuquerque occasionally records above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in the area, it still has at least 11 inches of snowfall per year. On the other hand, Irvine experiences fine weather where most of these are bright and warm.
There is no snow in Irvine, so you cannot enjoy winter activities or even white Christmas in the neighborhood.
Late summer and early fall are hot and mostly dry, with intermittent bouts of warm conditions, and winter can also be humid. Snow is scarce in Irvine’s lower-lying areas, but the neighborhood received three inches of snow in January 1949.
Is Albuquerque Better Than Irvine?
Irvine is a growing metropolitan area with high-paying jobs, a world-class academic establishment, and the safest place in the United States. The metro’s economic benefits make it a better place to resettle than ABQ. On the other hand, Albuquerque is an excellent place for low-cost living rewards.
Irvine City in Orange County is the ideal place for everyone because it is the safest metropolitan area in America. Not only is it highly secured but the economic benefits that the city provide will give you a good quality of life.
Albuquerque is ideal for enjoying cheaper rates for most of your dues and necessities. The location is also excellent for its green environment, but its employment market is not as competitive as Irvine. You must still pick a decent job, even if it is not inside the city limits but in surrounding communities.
Living in Irvine is expensive, but that drawback outpaced the city’s desirable things. Albuquerque still needs to strive mightily to reach a better economic stage.
Albuquerque, New Mexico versus Irvine, California – Where do you consider moving? Let me know your thoughts below.