Peña El Paso

Episode 07

New Mexico

Neighborhood guide · El Paso, TX

Aerial view of new construction homes in Santa Teresa, New Mexico with mountains beyondSanta Teresa, NM · 2026

Sunland Park and Santa Teresa sit just across the state line from West El Paso, close enough to feel like El Paso but with property taxes about half of Texas's. Expect newer master-planned communities like Valencia, bigger lots, ongoing new construction, and a 10 to 15 minute commute back into the city with the Franklin Mountains in view.

Communities and ZIP codes

  • Santa Teresa
  • Sunland Park

ZIP codes: 88008, 88063

Why are buyers moving from El Paso to Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico?

The biggest draw is property taxes: in Santa Teresa and Sunland Park, New Mexico they run about 1.3% of a home's value per year, versus roughly 3% across the state line in El Paso, Texas, so a similar home costs far less to own annually. These Doña Ana County communities sit minutes from West El Paso with the Franklin Mountains in view, so you keep the El Paso lifestyle and commute. Buyers find newer master-planned neighborhoods like Valencia, larger lots, ongoing new construction, and easy access to the Santa Teresa port of entry and its growing industrial and logistics jobs. Homes are served by Gadsden ISD, and many residents work or shop in El Paso while paying New Mexico's lower property-tax rate.

$359K

Median price

6.0/10

School score

20/100

Walk score

8.5/10

Safety score

Median sale price as of 2026 year to date. Listings update hourly from the MLS.

How the New Mexico market is moving

227

Homes sold, past year

14.6

Months of inventory

101

Median days from listing to close

Based on 227 homes sold in the New Mexico area in the 12 months to September 9, 2026, from the El Paso MLS.

What’s nearby

  • Santa Teresa Port of Entry
  • Valencia master-planned community
  • Santa Teresa Country Club
  • Sunland Park Racetrack & Casino
  • War Eagles Air Museum
  • 10 to 15 min to West El Paso

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New Mexico on video

Video transcript

Is Santa Teresa New Mexico BETTER than El Paso Texas?

Hi, welcome to the YouTube channel Living in El Paso, Texas. We are not in El Paso, but we are very, very close to it in Santa Teresa, New Mexico. Now if you look on a map, you'll see that El Paso is of course in Texas, but we're right next to that New Mexico border.

One of the smaller communities right next door to El Paso is Santa Teresa. The reason that we're talking about Santa Teresa is because we think it's kind of a unique opportunity for some people that might be trying to avoid the higher property taxes of El Paso.

Because here in Santa Teresa, the property taxes are about 1.3% a year of value, whereas in El Paso they're about 3%. And the awesome thing about Santa Teresa is that not only are the property taxes lower, but it, to me, feels like El Paso.

Franklin Mountains are right here. We could be in El Paso proper in 10 minutes. So let me tell you a little bit about Santa Teresa. It is a smaller, unincorporated community in Dona Ana County, New Mexico.

In 2020, the census population had them around 5,000 people more or less. And there's really kind of two primary neighborhoods or communities in Santa Teresa. We are at one of the newer ones called Valencia. It's a little bit further north.

We're going to show you some footage of a home by Rise that we just did a little house tour of. You can check that out on the channel as well. And then the other area is a little bit further south.

And it's a more traditional Santa Teresa area. Super interesting story. They were going to do like a country club and have a whole big crazy thing there. That didn't quite pan out.

But the homes that are in that area are beautiful. Bigger lots, walking paths. It is a kind of a gated community. And they're also building a lot of additional new construction in that area as well.

So if you think that Santa Teresa might be an option for you, if you're thinking about relocating, purchasing a home, but you're not so excited about those El Paso taxes, Santa Teresa might be right up the alley for you. If you're interested in learning more, reach out to us.

We'll see you in the next video.

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