Living in Las Cruces, NM
Small city in New Mexico
Las Cruces is a small city in New Mexico, home to about 113,000 people, with 179,000 living within 31 mi. Day to day, most trips are by car. Life moves at a slow, calm pace, and homes are a mix of apartments and houses.
Is Las Cruces a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Affordable housing: a typical 3-bedroom home is about $279k and rents for $1,450 a month
- Sunny: more sunshine and clearer skies than most places
- Low natural disaster risk: 4 federally declared disasters since 2000
- Easy flying: ELP is 43 mi away
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Smaller job market: about 179,000 people live within 31 mi
- Hot summers: highs around 95°F
- Quieter on culture: few museums and attractions nearby
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Las Cruces ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Las Cruces: common questions
What is the cost of living in Las Cruces?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $279k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $1,450 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are below the US average (index 90, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Las Cruces?
New Mexico collects about $1,191 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.7% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Las Cruces safe?
Violent crime is somewhat above the national rate (1.3× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Las Cruces?
Las Cruces has mild winters: winter days average around 60°F and summer days around 95°F.
Does Las Cruces get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is low, mainly from flooding: 4 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 0.38 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Las Cruces?
The nearest major airport is ELP, about 43 mi away.
How Las Cruces scores
Each bar compares Las Cruces with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
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Is Las Cruces right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.