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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The numbers are clear: 3 of 3 cities in New Mexico beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Las Cruces stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,290/month and household income of $55,176. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
The numbers are clear: 3 of 3 cities in New Mexico beat the national cost-of-living benchmark of 112. Las Cruces stands out at 94 on the index, with rent of $1,290/month and household income of $55,176. Assembled from 2026 Census, Zillow, and BLS data.
Here's Las Cruces by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 94. Rent: $1,290/month. Income: $55,176/year. Home price: $286,242. Population: 114,892. The strongest category is Housing at 84; the most expensive is Healthcare at 96. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $7,260 per year vs. the national median. This is quietly one of the better values out there.
The transportation sub-index is derived from overall cost of living with regional BLS price adjustments. A score of 95 (the top-10 average here) means transportation costs are about 5% below the national median. Las Cruces leads at 89, followed by Albuquerque (94) and Rio Rancho (101). Note: a low transportation index doesn't guarantee a low overall cost — check the full cost breakdown table below.
What makes this tricky: State context matters: New Mexico's 3 cities average a 100 cost index with $1,550/month median rent and $68,845 household income. Desert affordability with lower incomes. The table is nice. The insights below it are nicer.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers (a figure that keeps climbing, by the way).
#1 Ranked: Las Cruces — cost index 94, rent $1,290/mo, income $55,176
3 of 3 cities come in below the national cost-of-living average of 112
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
| Rank | City | Transportation Index | Cost Index | Median Rent | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Las Cruces | 89 | 94 | $1,290 | Details |
| 2 | Albuquerque | 94 | 99 | $1,457 | Details |
| 3 | Rio Rancho | 101 | 107 | $1,902 | Details |
114,892 residents · New Mexico
What does daily life actually cost in Las Cruces? Start with the 28% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. On the category level, Housing (index 84) is where the real savings show up, while Healthcare (index 96) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $55,176 and homes at $286,242 round out a profile that ranks #1 for clear reasons.
560,274 residents · New Mexico
Dive into Albuquerque's numbers: cost index 99 (13 points below national average), rent $1,457/month, income $65,604, and a home price of $338,329. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 91, while Healthcare runs 102. As a major city with 560,274 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
110,660 residents · New Mexico
A closer look at Rio Rancho: the cost index of 107 breaks down to a Utilities index of 98 (strongest category) and a Housing index of 117 (weakest). Median rent is $1,902/month — 0% above the national median — while household income sits at $85,755, meaning locals spend about 27% of income on rent. That's within the recommended 30% threshold, though it doesn't leave much room (we double-checked this one).
Cities are ranked by their transportation cost sub-index within New Mexico. Each sub-index is derived from the overall cost of living with regional adjustment factors. All data is sourced from federal agencies and verified research institutions. Cost of living indices are normalized to 100 (national median) using Zillow rent as the primary signal, with sub-category adjustments derived from regional BLS price data. Rankings are updated monthly as new data is released.
Las Cruces ranks #1 in New Mexico for this analysis with a cost index of 94 and median income of $55,176.
Las Cruces, NM has the lowest transportation index at 89, compared to the national average of 100.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Las Cruces (ranked #1) has a cost index of 94 and rent of $1,290/mo, while Rio Rancho (ranked #3) has a cost index of 107 and rent of $1,902/mo — a 13-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Las Cruces is $1,290/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $605 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Las Cruces is $286,242, which is 5.2× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
New Mexico has a 5.9% state income tax rate. Combined state and local sales tax averages 7.595%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.67%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.