Overall
- Elizabethtown
- 90.6
- Las Cruces
- 90.2
Diff -0.4 RPP
Elizabethtown vs Las Cruces
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Las Cruces is 0.4% less expensive than Elizabethtown.
0.4% less expensive
Las Cruces, NM is 0.4% less expensive than Elizabethtown, KY on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.2 vs 90.6). A $100,000 salary in Elizabethtown buys about the same as $99,603 in Las Cruces; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 90.6 (Elizabethtown) vs 90.2 (Las Cruces)
- $100k in Elizabethtown ≈ $99,603 purchasing power in Las Cruces
- Rents drives the gap (-3.7 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair KY:NM 90.6→90.2
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE KY × NM
- SPLIT-BUDGET Split budget
- BOTH-BELOW Both below 100
- PP-PAR PP near-par
Instrument codes from this pair's BEA Regional Price Parities (overall · goods · services · rents · national benchmark 100 · purchasing-power conversion), not a ranking or recommendation.
Elizabethtown
90.6
Cost Index
Las Cruces
90.2
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Elizabethtown, KY and Las Cruces, NM are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.4 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Las Cruces is 3.7 points lower. But services move against the overall direction, so this is a split budget rather than a clean across-the-board winner.
Comparable population context is incomplete for this pair, so no market-scale explanation is inferred from the price indexes.
Both metros remain below the U.S. benchmark of 100. This comparison chooses between two below-average price levels; “more expensive” here does not mean nationally expensive.
For a housing-sensitive move, validate the rent gap first: HUD Fair Market Rent and the actual unit size can overturn what the blended index implies. On the BEA ratio alone, $100,000 in Elizabethtown corresponds to $99,603 in Las Cruces.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Elizabethtown
- 96.2
- Las Cruces
- 96.1
Diff -0.1 RPP
Services
- Elizabethtown
- 74.6
- Las Cruces
- 77.9
Diff +3.3 RPP
Rents
- Elizabethtown
- 66.7
- Las Cruces
- 63.0
Diff -3.7 RPP
| Category | Elizabethtown | Las Cruces | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 90.6 | 90.2 | -0.4 |
| Goods | 96.2 | 96.1 | -0.1 |
| Services | 74.6 | 77.9 | +3.3 |
| Rents | 66.7 | 63.0 | -3.7 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Elizabethtown 90.6
Las Cruces 90.2
Goods
Elizabethtown 96.2
Las Cruces 96.1
Services
Elizabethtown 74.6
Las Cruces 77.9
Rents
Elizabethtown 66.7
Las Cruces 63.0
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Elizabethtown would need to be in Las Cruces for the same purchasing power:
| In Elizabethtown | In Las Cruces | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,801 | $-199 |
| $75,000 | $74,702 | $-298 |
| $100,000 | $99,603 | $-397 |
| $150,000 | $149,404 | $-596 |
$ in Elizabethtown = in Las Cruces
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (90.6 → 90.2), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Las Cruces more expensive than Elizabethtown?
Las Cruces is 0.4% less expensive than Elizabethtown. The overall cost index is 90.2 vs 90.6 (national average = 100).
What salary in Las Cruces equals $100K in Elizabethtown?
A $100,000 salary in Elizabethtown has the same purchasing power as $99,603 in Las Cruces. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Elizabethtown and Las Cruces?
Rents in Elizabethtown are indexed at 66.7 while Las Cruces is at 63.0 (national average = 100). Elizabethtown has higher rents.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.