Is Las Cruces cheaper than St. Cloud?

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

Which has higher household income, Las Cruces or St. Cloud?

St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $61,154 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 24% more.

Does a paycheck go further in Las Cruces or St. Cloud?

A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $67,789 in Las Cruces.

Which has cheaper rent, Las Cruces or St. Cloud?

Rents are close — $1,031/mo in the Las Cruces metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).

Las Cruces vs St. Cloud

Metro-area medians — Las Cruces, NM Metro Area vs St. Cloud, MN Metro Area — not the cities proper.

St. Cloud comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 7 clearly-decided measures.

Las Cruces and St. Cloud cost about the same to live in, but St. Cloud households earn about 24% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud.

Their widest everyday difference: St. Cloud has the tighter job market — 3.6% 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

Las Cruces, NM

$58,938

take-home / yr · 21% to tax

$65,332

real value after local prices

St. Cloud, MN

$57,702

take-home / yr · 23% to tax

$65,846

real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, St. Cloud leaves you about $514/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

Las Cruces

St. Cloud

Livability (CityLedger)

31/100

56/100

Cost of living (price level, US = 100)

90.2

87.6

Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)

$67,789

$86,370

Median household income

$61,154

$75,688

Median rent

$1,031/mo

$1,039/mo

Median home value

$259,000

$289,200

Unemployment

3.6%

Bachelor's degree or higher

31.6%

28.5%

Average commute

22.3 min

22 min

Air quality (median AQI)

Avg temperature

59°F

43°F

Choose Las Cruces for

+ Median home value
+ Bachelor's degree or higher

Full Las Cruces profile →

Choose St. Cloud for

+ Livability (CityLedger)
+ Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
+ Median household income
+ Unemployment
+ Air quality (median AQI)

Full St. Cloud profile →

More comparisons

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

Las Cruces vs Greenville→Las Cruces vs Amarillo→Las Cruces vs Bowling Green→St. Cloud vs Bowling Green→St. Cloud vs Topeka→St. Cloud vs Hattiesburg→

Las Cruces vs St. Cloud — frequently asked

Is Las Cruces cheaper than St. Cloud?: They are about even — the overall cost of living in the Las Cruces and St. Cloud metros is within 3% of each other (BEA Regional Price Parities), so neither is meaningfully cheaper.
Which has higher household income, Las Cruces or St. Cloud?: St. Cloud has the higher median household income — $75,688 versus $61,154 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 24% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Las Cruces or St. Cloud?: A paycheck stretches further in St. Cloud. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $86,370 there versus $67,789 in Las Cruces.
Which has cheaper rent, Las Cruces or St. Cloud?: Rents are close — $1,031/mo in the Las Cruces metro versus $1,039/mo in St. Cloud (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).