Las Cruces vs Lubbock
The short version
- Overall prices are about the same in both metro areas (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $212,400 in Lubbock and $231,700 in Las Cruces.
- Households earn more in Lubbock ($60,895 vs $55,422 median).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; New Mexico's top rate is 5.9%.
Side by side
| Las Cruces, NM | Lubbock, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 116,978 | 273,071 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5% | +6.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,521 | 1,907 |
| Median age | 33.0 | 30.5 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 35% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,422 | $60,895 |
| Median home value | $231,700 | $212,400 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 3.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $974 | $1,182 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.2 | 91.3 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 63.0 | 76.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,700 | $68,500 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 51% |
| Top state income tax | 5.9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.68% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.9 | 16.3 |
| Work from home | 11% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 1% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7% | 5.2% |
| Poverty rate | 22.6% | 18.9% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 30° | 55° / 27° |
| July high / low | 96° / 69° | 93° / 69° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 18 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 7 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 109 | 92 |
| Nights below freezing | 69 | 84 |
| Comfortable months | 2 | 4 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.1 | 96.2 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 27% | 93% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.4% | +2.3% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.8% | +28.2% |
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: Las Cruces: April and October. Lubbock: April to May and September to October.
Full monthly tables: Las Cruces weather by month and Lubbock weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $67,700 in Las Cruces and $68,500 in Lubbock. Moving from Las Cruces to Lubbock, you would need about $75,900 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Las Cruces and Lubbock
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Las Cruces and Lubbock.
Which would you pick?
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