Las Cruces vs Odessa
The short version
- Las Cruces is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 4% lower than in the Odessa area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $223,100 in Odessa and $231,700 in Las Cruces.
- Households earn more in Odessa ($73,472 vs $55,422 median).
- Odessa is growing faster: +7.2% since 2020 vs +5%.
- Commutes are shorter in Las Cruces (19 vs 22 minutes each way).
- Texas has no state income tax on wages; New Mexico's top rate is 5.9%.
Side by side
| Las Cruces, NM | Odessa, TX | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 116,978 | 122,707 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5% | +7.2% |
| People per square mile | 1,521 | 2,358 |
| Median age | 33.0 | 31.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 37% | 19% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $55,422 | $73,472 |
| Median home value | $231,700 | $223,100 |
| Home value to income | 4.2× | 3.0× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $974 | $1,315 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 90.2 | 93.9 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 63.0 | 89.7 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $67,700 | $70,400 |
| Homeowners | 56% | 60% |
| Top state income tax | 5.9% | None |
| Combined sales tax | 7.68% | 8.2% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 18.9 | 22.4 |
| Work from home | 11% | 3% |
| Take public transit | 1% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7% | 5.9% |
| Poverty rate | 22.6% | 16.2% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 30° | 59° / 33° |
| July high / low | 96° / 69° | 96° / 73° |
| Precipitation per year | 9 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 1 in | 4 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 109 | 115 |
| Nights below freezing | 69 | 58 |
| Comfortable months | 2 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Relatively High | Relatively Moderate |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 96.1 | 82.8 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 27% | 72% |
| Home prices, past year | -0.4% | +0.1% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.8% | +24.8% |
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. Odessa: March to April and October.
Full monthly tables: Las Cruces weather by month and Odessa 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 $70,400 in Odessa. Moving from Las Cruces to Odessa, you would need about $78,100 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Las Cruces and Odessa
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 Odessa.
Which would you pick?
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