Dona Ana County · New Mexico · West · 114k residents
Las Cruces, NM: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Las Cruces: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the New Mexico median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: ACS place data; supplementary fields may use state estimates.
The acs median home value in Las Cruces is $231,700, 16% above the New Mexico median. A two-bedroom rents for about $964/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 82 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $55,422 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findings- Housing value: The ACS median home value in Las Cruces is $231,700, 15.8% above the median for ACS-covered places in New Mexico.
- Household income: Median household income is $55,422, 4.9% below the median for ACS-covered places in New Mexico.
- Adult education: 36.7% of adults have a bachelor's degree or higher, 56.2% above the median for ACS-covered places in New Mexico.
- Home value to income: The ACS median home value is about 4.2 times median household income. This is a comparison measure, not a mortgage qualification or affordability promise.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A high-desert borderlands city where chile, university life, and Organ Mountains shape the view.
Known for: New Mexico State, chile, Organ Mountains, and Mesilla history.
Calendar note: The Hatch Chile Festival is a defining regional event.
Story source: City of Las Cruces
- Scale: A mid-sized city with a population between 50,000 and 250,000 in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Las Cruces about 33 miles from the nearest tracked mountain.
- Climate signal: The profile records 280 sunny days and 1 inches of annual snow.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 38 and an average commute of 22 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Las Cruces side by side
Cost of living index
82
ACS median home value
$231,700
2-bedroom rent
$964/mo
Median household income
$55,422
Housing momentum
How fast Las Cruces's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
37/100
Steady
Ranks Las Cruces's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Las Cruces's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| ACS median home value | $231,700 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $190 |
| Property tax rate | 0.8% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $791/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $964/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.74% |
| Sales tax | 7.6% |
| Cost of living index | 82 |
| Groceries index | 98 |
| Utilities | $145/mo |
| Transit pass | $45/mo |
| Gas price | $3.05/gal |
| Healthcare index | 96 |
| Childcare (per child) | $950/mo |
| Median household income | $55,422 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.9% |
| Population | 114k |
| Crime index | 80/100 |
| School rating | 3.5/10 |
| Walkability | 38/100 |
| Disaster risk | — |
| Avg. commute | 22 min |
| Sunny days / year | 280 days |
| July high | 96°F |
| January low | 30°F |
| Annual snowfall | 1 in |
| Home price YoY | -0.3% |
| Home price MoM | 0.0% |
| Rent YoY | +1.3% |
| Rent MoM | +0.1% |
| Ocean coast | 605 mi |
| Big lake | 69 mi |
| Mountains | 33 mi |
| Major airport | 42 mi |
| Ski resort | 93 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Chaparral, NM · 18k
- Sunland Park, NM · 17k
- Deming, NM · 15k
- Alamogordo, NM · 31k
- Carlsbad, NM · 32k
Similar size
- Rio Rancho, NM · 109k
- Santa Fe, NM · 89k
- Roswell, NM · 48k
- Farmington, NM · 46k
- Hobbs, NM · 40k
Real listings in Las Cruces
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Las Cruces, NM?
- Las Cruces indexes at 82 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $964/mo and a acs median home value of $231,700.
- How much does a house cost in Las Cruces?
- The acs median home value in Las Cruces is $231,700, 16% above the New Mexico median (Census ACS estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Las Cruces?
- A two-bedroom in Las Cruces rents for about $964/mo.