It’s always very stressful when you’re moving somewhere, especially if it’s to another city. We hope this text will help you make your decision about moving to Las Cruces, easier, so here are a few things we`ll talk about:
- Pros and cons of moving to Las Cruces
- Safety measures in Las Cruces
- Which neighborhoods are best to live in Las Cruces
- Which areas to avoid in Las Cruces
- Job Market and employability in Las Cruces
- Cost of living in Las Cruces
- Choosing the right moving company
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Pros and cons of moving to Las Cruces
If you’re thinking about moving to Las Cruces, here’s a quick pros and cons list that may help you decide!
Pros of moving to Las Cruces
- Beautiful view wherever you look
- Steady, non-changeable weather per season
- Great local Mexican food wherever you go
- Affordable housing
- Spacious neighborhoods
Cons of moving to Las Cruces
- Bad job market
- High unemployment rate
- Unsafe in many neighborhoods
Things to know before moving to Las Cruces
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In this part of the text, you will find out about basic things any newcomer should know about living in Las Cruces, like how safe it is, what’s the weather like, and how much it costs to live there comfortably.
How much does it cost to live in Las Cruces?
It’s vital to have good budgeting skills if you don’t want to live paycheck-to-paycheck. A good budgeting tip is to use the 50-30-20 rule, and that means spending 50% of your income on necessities, 30% on wants and other needs, and 20% left for savings. For following that rule and living comfortably in Las Cruces, you’ll need about $42,445 a year.
Safety
The good news is that about half of the cities have dropped in rank this year when discussing crime rates. Between those cities is Las Cruces as well. Although, the crime rate in Las Cruces is still pretty high even though the ranks dropped. Like in any large city, you’ll have to stay alert almost all the time since the crime rate here is around 40 per 1000 residents.
Weather
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The summers in Las Cruces are hot and partly cloudy (because of the city’s mountains). The winters are frigid, and it’s mostly dry all year, considering rain and snow. The temperature doesn’t go below 23 degrees or above 103.
Traffic
Traffic in Las Cruces isn’t too bad compared to other major cities. The rush hours are from 3 to 5 pm, and we recommend starting your travel at least an hour earlier if you hope to get on time when it’s rush hours. You probably don’t need a car based on the neighborhood you decide to live in, since most of them are very walkable and needed places are on walkable distances.
Culture
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Being the second-largest city of New Mexico, Las Cruces` population of more than 95000 residents includes a fine fusion of Mexican, American, and European culture, history, art, and architecture, emphasizing Mexican when it comes to food.
Job Market and Employability
The WalletHub stated that Las Cruces` job market ranks 182nd, which means its job market is pretty bad. New Mexico’s unemployment rate is 9.4%, which is high compared to other states.
Moving to Las Cruces without a job
As we said earlier, Las Cruces` job market is not good compared to other big cities in the US. With a big unemployment rate, you’ll have to make stronger connections in the city if you want to get a job here before moving.
Best places to work at
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The best companies to work for in Las Cruces, based on their salaries and the way they treat their employees, are:
How difficult is it to get a job?
Since we mentioned that unemployment is pretty high in this city, it means it wouldn’t be relatively easy to get a job upon moving there. We advise you to read the rest of the text and maybe find out some helpful tips.
How to get a job before moving?
Getting a job in a new place before moving can be pretty hard, but we hope these few tips will help you out:
- Go on a trip to Las Cruces.
- Mingle with people and on social media (especially LinkedIn)
- Build connections
- State your plans for moving in your CV
Cost of Living in Las Cruces
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In this part of the text, you will find out the necessary information about the cost of living in Las Cruces, its taxes, salaries, and monthly expenses.
Monthly Costs
Based on the table below, you can see that the living cost is close but slightly lower than the national average and is also about 2% lower than New Mexico’s average. The median home cost is $171,800.
Average rent by bedroom size is:
- Studio apartment – $560
- 1 bedroom – $628
- 2 bedrooms – $770
- 3 bedrooms – $1113
| Las Cruces | |
| Overall | 84 |
| Food | 94 |
| Housing | 74 |
| Utilities | 100 |
Source: BestPlaces
Renting VS buying a house
It is easier for you to rent an apartment in some neighborhoods, and somewhere you’ll need to buy one. It all depends on a few different factors, like your financial status and how expensive the home’s maintenance is in the neighborhood you’re looking to move into.
In general, we can say that it’s more affordable to buy a house than to rent one, mainly in Las Cruces.
Taxes
- The combined sales tax rate for Las Cruces is 8.32%
- Property tax is 0.78%
- Personal income tax rates range from 1.7% to 4.9%
What salary do I need to live comfortably in Las Cruces?
As we already mentioned, it would be good for you to follow the 50-30-20 budgeting rule, meaning that you spend 50% on necessities, 30% on wants and other needs, and 20% on savings. To live comfortably (without the need to follow this rule really strictly), you would need around $43k.
Best neighborhoods in Las Cruces:
In this part of the text, we will mention a few areas you might find appealing, according to your social group. All of these neighborhoods are among the safest ones in the city and are pretty affordable.
For Families
- Los Almos – this is a tranquil and safe neighborhood, and because of that, many people choose to raise their families here.
- White Rock – this is an excellent neighborhood for either families or retirees. Open green spaces dominate the area. You can easily find houses with big backyards.
- Sandia Heights – this is a peaceful and quiet neighborhood that many people choose to live in because of the lovely and friendly community.
For Students
- Nob Hill – this is a great neighborhood for students that want to get away from the books for a little bit. It’s full of theatres, shopping centers, restaurants, and small businesses.
- Westside – this is a quiet and peaceful neighborhood that’s characterized by friendly people and desirable community charm.
- Rio Rancho – this is also a place that’s good for the students that want to dedicate their time to studying since it’s safe and quiet with many walkable and calming green places.
For Couples
- Nob Hill – as we mentioned before, this is a great neighborhood for people that want to lead a more urban life, with going out in bars and restaurants whenever they can
- Los Almos – this neighborhood is for the people that want to lead a more peaceful and quiet life, with walkable green areas and friendly people around you.
- Corrales – this is a suburban area for people who want to get away from the city for a weekend or longer.
For Retirees
Las Cruces is one of the best places to live in New Mexico if you’re retired. TopPretirements.com ranked this city in 15th place out of 100 most popular cities for retirement, and here are some neighborhoods you might enjoy:
- Corrales – this is a nice suburban area for retirees, walkable and safe
- White Rock – as we mentioned before, this neighborhood is excellent for retirees with its big open spaces and spacious homes with backyards.
- Mesilla – quiet, peaceful, and friendly community are the things this neighborhood is representable by.
Moving to Las Cruces with Family
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Cost of Moving to Las Cruces
If you want to calculate how much money you will need when moving to Las Cruces, you can use our move cost calculator to get a ballpark estimate. If you want 100% accurate move costs, you can schedule your virtual move estimate.
Moving to Las Cruces from El Paso
The cost of moving depends on where you are moving from and the size of your move. To get a ballpark estimate on how much will moving to Las Cruces from El Paso cost, you can use our move cost calculator.
| Las Cruces | El Paso | |
| Overall | 84 | 81 |
| Food | 94 | 92 |
| Housing | 74 | 56 |
| Utilities | 100 | 97 |
Source: BestPlaces.net
Moving to Las Cruces from Phoenix
The cost of moving depends on where you are moving from and the size of your move. To see about how much will moving to Las Cruces from Phoenix probably cost you, you can use our move cost calculator.
| Las Cruces | Phoenix | |
| Overall | 84 | 103 |
| Food | 94 | 97 |
| Housing | 74 | 103 |
| Utilities | 100 | 101 |
Moving to Las Cruces from NYC
The cost of moving depends on where you are moving from and the size of your move. If you want to see how much will moving to Las Cruces from NYC probably cost, you can use our move cost calculator.
| Las Cruces | NYC | |
| Overall | 84 | 187 |
| Food | 94 | 116 |
| Housing | 74 | 294 |
| Utilities | 100 | 150 |
Moving to Las Cruces from LA
The cost of moving depends on where you are moving from and the size of your move. To get a predictable estimation of how much will moving to Las Cruces from LA probably cost you, you can use our move cost calculator.
| Las Cruces | LA | |
| Overall | 84 | 173 |
| Food | 94 | 104 |
| Housing | 74 | 298 |
| Utilities | 100 | 93 |
How can MovePrice help you?
If you are moving to Las Cruces with MovePrice, you can get:
- Free move cost estimate
- An accurate move quote after you fill the virtual home survey
- All-time customer support during your move
- Move costs tailored to your needs and budget,
Your,
MovePrice.
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