Las Cruces vs Albuquerque leftover
You'd keep $317 more a month in Albuquerque
$2,363/mo leftover in Albuquerque vs $2,046 in Las Cruces after tax and rent ($317 more). +$3,804 a year for the same registered nurse, the same household size, and the same number of bedrooms. Not a cost-of-living index.
Las Cruces leftover
$2,046
a month after tax and rent
Albuquerque leftover
$2,363
+$317 vs Las Cruces
Compare Las Cruces to another metro
Same paycheck. Try a different city next to Las Cruces.
Monthly gap
Las Cruces → Albuquerque
$317
more / month in Albuquerque
$2,363 in Albuquerque · $2,046 in Las Cruces · One adult, renting a 1-bedroom
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
In 2022-2023, 396 households moved Las Cruces → Albuquerque (avg AGI $43,732). 310 went the other way. The whole move →
+$317 / mo
| Per month | Las Cruces | Albuquerque | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gross pay | $6,208 | $7,011 | +$802 |
| Income and payroll tax | $1,342 | $1,619 | +$276 |
| Take-home pay | $4,866 | $5,392 | +$526 |
| Rent | $862 | $1,119 | +$257 |
| Getting around | $566 | $547 | −$19 |
| Groceries | $384 | $376 | −$8 |
| Healthcare | $432 | $423 | −$9 |
| Utilities | $240 | $235 | −$5 |
| Everything else | $336 | $329 | −$7 |
| Left over | $2,046 | $2,363 | +$317 |
To break even in Albuquerque, you'd need to earn
$78,500
Household gross, versus $74,500 today. That's the salary that leaves you exactly as much at the end of the month as Las Cruces does now.
The tax difference alone
−$459
A year, in state and local income tax. Effective rates: 21.6% in Las Cruces, 23.1% in Albuquerque.
More about Albuquerque
Las Cruces, NM in full
State income tax topping out at 5.9%, a median 2-bedroom asking rent of $1,026 and 285 sunny days; commutes average 22 minutes.
Albuquerque, NM in full
High desert, 278 sunny days, and housing that's still cheap.
The reverse move
Same two cities, but starting from Albuquerque on Albuquerque wages.
Albuquerque → Las Cruces →Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Albuquerque than Las Cruces?
A one-bedroom is about $862 in Las Cruces versus $1,119 in Albuquerque. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $317 a month higher in Albuquerque. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Albuquerque have state income tax?
Albuquerque is in New Mexico, which taxes wage income.
What changes if you move from Las Cruces to Albuquerque?
Take-home pay is recalculated under New Mexico tax, rent is priced at the same bedroom count, and leftover is the gap. The from-to page also lists IRS households that already made the move, when that data exists.
Leftover is take-home after federal, state and city wage tax, minus asking rent at the bedroom count you set, minus a modelled month of groceries, utilities, healthcare, transport and childcare. It is not a cost-of-living index and not a moving quote. The dollar gap between Las Cruces and Albuquerque moves when you change the job, remote versus local pay, or bedrooms. How the math works · Leftover vs a COL index · Why a cheaper COL% can still lose leftover.
Rent is Zillow's asking rent for each metro; taxes and living costs are modelled. An estimate, not a quote or tax advice. How this is calculated.