Metro FMR · CBSA 29740 · HUD FY2026

Las Cruces, NM MSA Fair Market Rent

HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent for the Las Cruces, NM MSA metro area - 1% below the US average.

$951
1-bedroom FMR
$1,042
2-bedroom FMR
+1.2%
YoY change
-1%
vs US avg

The verdict

A 2-bedroom in the Las Cruces, NM MSA area rents at $1,042 under HUD's FY2026 Fair Market Rent - 11% below the US average, lower than 89% of the 387 metro areas HUD tracks.

#44
most affordable of 387 US metros (2BR)
-11%
vs the US 2-bedroom average
$41,680
income to afford it (30% rule)
+1.2%
1BR change, FY2025→2026

Affordability & income context

Las Cruces: #44 most affordable nationally · income context

At the metro's ACS median household income of $55,663, this 1-bedroom FMR takes 20.5% of annual income. It is well below the 30% affordability guide for a median-income household.

The 2-bedroom figure places Las Cruces in the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, using the same FY2026 HUD schedule as the national comparison.

With 219,870 residents, this is a smaller-metro benchmark rather than a single-neighborhood rent quote.

Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.9%, Census ACS).

The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.1%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

The Census ACS median gross rent across all rental units here is $903/month - the FY2026 HUD two-bedroom FMR of $1,042 runs 15.4% above that all-unit-types median. The two figures measure different things (ACS covers every rented unit; FMR targets a specific bedroom count), so a gap is expected, not an error.

Its 2-bedroom FMR sits in the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas, so the local-income comparison is more informative than the national rank alone.

The studio-through-two-bedroom FMR bands stay below 30% of recorded median income here; the larger-bedroom rows show where that headroom narrows.

Observed renter burden: 48.0% of the 28,988 renter households counted by ACS paid at least 30% of income in gross rent. This ACS 2023 household measure is distinct from the FY2026 HUD FMR benchmark.

ACS median household income lags the FY2026 HUD FMR schedule. The income share is a same-metro cross-source read (Census ACS B19013 vs HUD FMR), not a same-vintage ratio.

Studio

$744/mo

16.0% of median income

1 Bedroom

$951/mo

20.5% of median income

2 Bedroom

$1,042/mo

22.5% of median income

3 Bedroom

$1,449/mo

31.2% of median income

4 Bedroom

$1,580/mo

34.1% of median income

FMR filing desk

CBSA CBSA·29740

Las Cruces: $951/mo 1BR · #44 of 387 metros (2BR) · FY2026 CBSA 29740

  • CBSA 29740
  • 1BR-FMR $951
  • 2BR-FMR $1,042
  • RANK-MID #44
  • YOY-FLAT +1.2%
  • VSUS-NEAR -1%
  • IN-ST-LOW #2 NM
  • INC-MID 21%
  • POP-MID 220K
  • PHOTO-NEAR Albuquerque
  • VOUCH-90-110 $856–$1,046
  • FY-2026 FY2026

Photo-finish peer: Albuquerque ($234 1BR gap)

Read with: How Fair Market Rent works

Where Las Cruces sits among every US metro

2-bedroom Fair Market Rent vs. all 387 HUD metro areas

$1,042 higher than 11% of 387 metro areas

$800–$1,000: 28 metro areas (7%). Below this entry. $1,000–$1,200: 114 metro areas (29%). This entry sits in this band. $1,200–$1,400: 95 metro areas (25%). Above this entry. $1,400–$1,600: 52 metro areas (13%). Above this entry. $1,600–$1,800: 41 metro areas (11%). Above this entry. $1,800–$2,000: 26 metro areas (7%). Above this entry. $2,000–$2,200: 9 metro areas (2%). Above this entry. $2,200–$2,400: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,400–$2,600: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,600–$2,800: 5 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $2,800–$3,000: 4 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,000–$3,200: 2 metro areas (1%). Above this entry. $3,200–$3,400: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,400–$3,600: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,600–$3,800: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $3,800–$4,000: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,000–$4,200: 0 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. $4,200–$4,400: 1 metro areas (0%). Above this entry. This metro $800 $4,400 every US metro, bucketed by value

Each bar is a $0.2K-wide band; taller bars hold more metro areas. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

What this shows #44 of 387 HUD-tracked metro areas, 11% below the national 2-bedroom average. 113 other metro areas fall in this same rent band.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents · FY2026

Las Cruces studio–4BR schedule (FY2026) · 2BR #44 most affordable

1BR $951 (-1% vs US, +1.2% YoY). Each bedroom band below is FY2026 HUD FMR for CBSA 29740.

Studio
$744
US avg $893
↑0.4% YoY -17% vs US
1 Bedroom
$951
US avg $959
↑1.2% YoY -1% vs US
2 Bedroom
$1,042
US avg $1,175
↑0.1% YoY -11% vs US
3 Bedroom
$1,449
US avg $1,525
↑0.1% YoY -5% vs US
4 Bedroom
$1,580
US avg $1,756
↓1.6% YoY -10% vs US

How Las Cruces compares on 1-bedroom rent

1-bedroom FMR vs other NM metro areas

1BR FMR / mo

What this shows Las Cruces highlighted among 3 peers · FY2026 1BR HUD FMR.

Source U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) As of FY2026

Las Cruces: out-of-state FMR & burden peers

PlainRent pairs Las Cruces with the 4 nearest HUD 2BR schedules and 4 nearest burden matches outside NM (burden peers exclude the FMR set; pop ≥50k).

2BR FMR · outside NM

Nearest schedules by 2BR delta (FY2026).

Callaway County
MO · 2 BR $1,042/mo
Muncie
IN · 2 BR $1,043/mo
Kingsport-Bristol
TN · 2 BR $1,044/mo
Jonesboro
AR · 2 BR $1,040/mo

Burden % · outside NM

Nearest 2BR FMR ÷ ACS median income (FY2026).

Niles
MI · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,184/mo
Altoona
PA · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,138/mo
Detroit-Warren-Livonia
MI · 22.5% of income · 2 BR $1,411/mo
Mobile
AL · 22.4% of income · 2 BR $1,083/mo

Las Cruces: quick answers

What is the average rent in the Las Cruces, NM MSA metro area? ▼
The FY 2026 Fair Market Rent for a 1-bedroom in Las Cruces, NM MSA is $951 per month. A 2-bedroom is $1,042 and a studio is $744.
How does Las Cruces, NM MSA rent compare to the national average? ▼
Rent in the Las Cruces, NM MSA metro area is 1% below the national average. A 1-bedroom costs $951 compared to $959 nationally.
Where does Las Cruces rank nationally for Fair Market Rent? ▼
HUD's FY 2026 2-bedroom FMR of $1,042 ranks #44 most affordable among 387 US metro areas (the lower-rent quarter of HUD metro areas).
What income do I need to afford rent in Las Cruces, NM MSA? ▼
Based on the 30% affordability rule, you need an annual income of at least $38,040 ($3,170/month) to afford a 1-bedroom at Fair Market Rent in the Las Cruces, NM MSA area.
Is Las Cruces's population growing, and how tight is its rental market? ▼
Population has held roughly steady over the past five years (+2.9%, Census ACS). The ACS rental vacancy rate here is 5.1%, close to the range where market rents and HUD's FMR benchmark tend to track each other.

Compare Las Cruces vs Albuquerque →

What this means for renters

Treat Las Cruces's FY2026 Fair Market Rent as HUD's affordability benchmark, not a single market quote.

  • Budget to roughly 30% of income: the FY2026 1-bedroom FMR of $951 implies about $38,040/yr to rent without being cost-burdened. Run your numbers
  • See how Las Cruces stacks up against a comparable metro before assuming this figure applies elsewhere. Compare vs Albuquerque
  • See where Las Cruces ranks nationally on rent. National rankings

Fair Market Rent is HUD's 40th-percentile policy benchmark used to set Housing Choice Voucher payment standards. This is a metro-wide figure across 1 county; actual asking rents in any specific county can run higher or lower, and HUD updates FMRs once a year. This site is informational and not financial or relocation advice.

Data as of FY 2026. Source: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Fair Market Rents. Population and demographic data from U.S. Census Bureau American Community Survey (ACS).

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

FY 2026 HUD FMR $951/mo · 1BR NM

Every figure on PlainRent is rendered directly from HUD's published Fair Market Rent records, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of FY 2026.