Is Abilene cheaper than Las Cruces?

They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Abilene and Las Cruces metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.

Which has higher household income, Abilene or Las Cruces?

Abilene has the higher median household income — $63,390 versus $61,154 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Abilene or Las Cruces?

A paycheck stretches further in Abilene. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,150 there versus $67,789 in Las Cruces.

Which has cheaper rent, Abilene or Las Cruces?

Las Cruces has cheaper rent — a median of $1,031/mo versus $1,173/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Abilene vs Las Cruces

Metro-area medians — Abilene, TX Metro Area vs Las Cruces, NM Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Abilene comes out ahead, winning 6 of the 8 clearly-decided measures.

Abilene and Las Cruces cost about the same to live in, but Abilene households earn about 4% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Abilene.

Their widest everyday difference: Abilene has the tighter job market — 3.2% unemployment versus 6%.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Annual salary (gross)

Household size

Abilene, TX

$61,314

take-home / yr · 18% to tax

$67,852

real value after local prices

Las Cruces, NM

$58,938

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$65,332

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Abilene leaves you about $2,519/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure

Abilene

Las Cruces

Livability (CityLedger)

43/100

31/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

90.4

90.2

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$70,150

$67,789

Median household income

$63,390

$61,154

Median rent

$1,173/mo

$1,031/mo

Median home value

$190,500

$259,000

Unemployment

3.2%

Bachelor's degree or higher

26.8%

31.6%

Average commute

20.5 min

22.3 min

Air quality (median AQI)

—

Avg temperature

66°F

59°F

Choose Abilene for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Median home value
+ Unemployment
+ Average commute

Full Abilene profile →

Choose Las Cruces for

+ Median rent
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Las Cruces profile →

More comparisons

Metros closest to Abilene and Las Cruces on cost, income, size, and education.

Abilene vs Bowling Green→Abilene vs Valdosta→Abilene vs Waco→Las Cruces vs Greenville→Las Cruces vs Amarillo→Las Cruces vs Bowling Green→

Abilene vs Las Cruces — frequently asked

Is Abilene cheaper than Las Cruces?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Abilene and Las Cruces metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Abilene or Las Cruces?: Abilene has the higher median household income — $63,390 versus $61,154 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 4% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Abilene or Las Cruces?: A paycheck stretches further in Abilene. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $70,150 there versus $67,789 in Las Cruces.
Which has cheaper rent, Abilene or Las Cruces?: Las Cruces has cheaper rent — a median of $1,031/mo versus $1,173/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).