El Paso vs Rio Rancho
The short version
- El Paso is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 6% lower than in the Rio Rancho area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $184,500 in El Paso and $310,200 in Rio Rancho.
- Households earn more in Rio Rancho ($89,596 vs $59,745 median).
- El Paso has the warmer winter: January highs of 59°F vs 48°F.
- El Paso has more scorching days: 117 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 64.
- Rio Rancho is growing faster: +9.9% since 2020 vs +0.6%.
- Commutes are shorter in El Paso (23 vs 30 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; New Mexico's top rate is 5.9%.
Side by side
| El Paso, TX | Rio Rancho, NM | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 683,012 | 114,419 |
| Growth since 2020 | +0.6% | +9.9% |
| People per square mile | 2,639 | 1,107 |
| Median age | 34.5 | 39.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 34% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $59,745 | $89,596 |
| Median home value | $184,500 | $310,200 |
| Home value to income | 3.1× | 3.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,073 | $1,514 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 89.9 | 95.5 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 71.2 | 89.2 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,400 | $71,700 |
| Homeowners | 61% | 82% |
| Top state income tax | None | 5.9% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.2% | 7.68% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 23.4 | 29.7 |
| Work from home | 9% | 16% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 6% | 4.6% |
| Poverty rate | 18.4% | 7.4% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 35° | 48° / 26° |
| July high / low | 96° / 73° | 91° / 67° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 9 in |
| Snowfall per year | 3 in | 8 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 117 | 64 |
| Nights below freezing | 42 | 93 |
| Comfortable months | 4 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 95.5 | 77.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 18% | 25% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.2% | +2.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +48% | +44.6% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: El Paso: March to April and October to November. Rio Rancho: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: El Paso weather by month and Rio Rancho weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,400 in El Paso and $71,700 in Rio Rancho. Moving from El Paso to Rio Rancho, you would need about $79,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between El Paso and Rio Rancho
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from El Paso and Rio Rancho.
Which would you pick?
One vote per person. Results show after you vote.