Moving from Albuquerque to Las Cruces
Albuquerque to Las Cruces: $316 less leftover
$2,040/mo leftover in Las Cruces vs $2,356 in Albuquerque after tax and rent ($316 less). −$3,792 a year — not a moving-company quote.
Albuquerque leftover
$2,356
a month after tax and rent
Las Cruces leftover
$2,040
−$316 vs Albuquerque
Home
Only when you tap. We match the nearest metro and don't keep the coordinates.
Destination
Leftover is not a cost-of-living index. Leftover vs a COL index
Who already made this move
In 2022-2023, 310 households moved Albuquerque → Las Cruces (about 517 people, average AGI $45,813). 396 households went the other way.
Source: IRS SOI county-to-county migration. Not a moving company; not a recommendation.
| Per month | Albuquerque | Las Cruces |
|---|---|---|
| Take-home | $5,385 | $4,860 |
| Rent | $1,119 | $862 |
| All other costs | $1,910 | $1,958 |
| Left over | $2,356 | $2,040 |
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 Albuquerque and Las Cruces 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.
Full line-by-line comparison →
What the move itself costs
About 231 road miles, 1 bedroom. Typical ranges, not quotes.
- Full-service mover
- $1,800–$3,350
- Container or pod
- $1,200–$2,250
- Rent a truck
- $500–$900
Dig into Las Cruces
Paycheck
Take-home pay after tax and rent, and what's left at the end of the month.
Who moved
Which metros people actually left and arrived from, according to IRS tax returns.
Rent vs buy
Asking rent, the median home, property tax, and months to a down payment.
Monthly costs
Groceries, getting around, utilities, healthcare and childcare at your household size.
Daily life
Homicide and firearm death rates, heat, cars and commute.
Kids
Public-school enrollment, pupil–teacher ratio, bedrooms and childcare.
Getting there
Typical cost to get here, then leftover after tax and rent — not a moving-company directory.
Questions
Is the cost of living lower in Las Cruces than Albuquerque?
A one-bedroom is about $1,119 in Albuquerque versus $862 in Las Cruces. On a one-adult, one-bedroom household, leftover is about $316 a month lower in Las Cruces. Change the job or household on the comparison to see your number.
Does Las Cruces have state income tax?
Las Cruces is in New Mexico, which taxes wage income.
Did people actually move from Albuquerque to Las Cruces?
When IRS county-to-county data covers this pair, the page lists how many households made the Albuquerque → Las Cruces move and their average AGI. Leftover after tax and rent is shown for the same household on both sides.