Overall
- Las Cruces
- 90.2
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 90.0
Diff -0.2 RPP
Las Cruces vs Beaumont-Port Arthur
Cost of living comparison based on BEA Regional Price Parities. Beaumont-Port Arthur is 0.2% less expensive than Las Cruces.
0.2% less expensive
Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX is 0.2% less expensive than Las Cruces, NM on BEA Regional Price Parities (overall RPP 90.0 vs 90.2). A $100,000 salary in Las Cruces buys about the same as $99,816 in Beaumont-Port Arthur; the largest component gap is rents.
- Overall RPP 90.2 (Las Cruces) vs 90.0 (Beaumont-Port Arthur)
- $100k in Las Cruces ≈ $99,816 purchasing power in Beaumont-Port Arthur
- Rents drives the gap (+8.0 RPP points)
RPP parity plate
Pair NM:TX 90.2→90.0
PHOTO-FINISH · CROSS-STATE · SPLIT-BUDGET · BOTH-BELOW · PP-PAR
- PHOTO-FINISH Photo finish
- CROSS-STATE NM × TX
- 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.
Las Cruces
90.2
Cost Index
Beaumont-Port Arthur
90.0
Cost Index
What This Comparison Actually Tells You
Las Cruces, NM and Beaumont-Port Arthur, TX are a photo finish on overall price level, only 0.2 RPP points apart. A salary conversion is therefore a fine adjustment, not evidence of a fundamentally different cost regime.
Rents creates the largest separation: Beaumont-Port Arthur is 8.0 points higher. But rents and 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 Las Cruces corresponds to $99,816 in Beaumont-Port Arthur.
Category Breakdown
Goods
- Las Cruces
- 96.1
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 93.8
Diff -2.4 RPP
Services
- Las Cruces
- 77.9
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 83.1
Diff +5.2 RPP
Rents
- Las Cruces
- 63.0
- Beaumont-Port Arthur
- 70.9
Diff +8.0 RPP
| Category | Las Cruces | Beaumont-Port Arthur | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall | 90.2 | 90.0 | -0.2 |
| Goods | 96.1 | 93.8 | -2.4 |
| Services | 77.9 | 83.1 | +5.2 |
| Rents | 63.0 | 70.9 | +8.0 |
Visual Comparison
Overall
Las Cruces 90.2
Beaumont-Port Arthur 90.0
Goods
Las Cruces 96.1
Beaumont-Port Arthur 93.8
Services
Las Cruces 77.9
Beaumont-Port Arthur 83.1
Rents
Las Cruces 63.0
Beaumont-Port Arthur 70.9
Vertical line = national average (100)
Salary Equivalents
What a salary in Las Cruces would need to be in Beaumont-Port Arthur for the same purchasing power:
| In Las Cruces | In Beaumont-Port Arthur | Difference |
|---|---|---|
| $50,000 | $49,908 | $-92 |
| $75,000 | $74,862 | $-138 |
| $100,000 | $99,816 | $-184 |
| $150,000 | $149,724 | $-276 |
$ in Las Cruces = in Beaumont-Port Arthur
Same BEA Regional Price Parity ratio as the table above (90.2 → 90.0), computed live from your number, nothing is sent anywhere.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Beaumont-Port Arthur more expensive than Las Cruces?
Beaumont-Port Arthur is 0.2% less expensive than Las Cruces. The overall cost index is 90.0 vs 90.2 (national average = 100).
What salary in Beaumont-Port Arthur equals $100K in Las Cruces?
A $100,000 salary in Las Cruces has the same purchasing power as $99,816 in Beaumont-Port Arthur. This is based on the BEA Regional Price Parity indexes.
How do rents compare between Las Cruces and Beaumont-Port Arthur?
Rents in Las Cruces are indexed at 63.0 while Beaumont-Port Arthur is at 70.9 (national average = 100). Beaumont-Port Arthur 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.