Las Cruces → Kingston
Relocation analysis based on 7 federal data sources
Should you move?
Moving from Las Cruces to Kingston is favorable: BEA regional price parity goes from 90.2 to 100.7 (US = 100), and HUD 2-bedroom rent rises by $776/mo.
- +$3,941
- BLS median salary higher in Kingston
- 697 to 380
- violent crimes per 100K (FBI UCR, state-level)
- 14:1 to 11.8:1
- NCES student-teacher ratio
BEA Regional Price Parity, HUD Fair Market Rent, BLS OEWS, FBI UCR, NCES, and DOL. The table below lets you override the composite with your own priorities.
Pros of Moving
- + $4K higher median salary
- + Lower violent crime rate
- + Better student-teacher ratios
- + Fewer environmental violations
Cons of Moving
- - 10% higher cost of living
- - $776/mo more expensive rent (2BR)
Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP rises from 90.2 to 100.7, so the same paycheck buys less in Kingston (ratio 1.12). HUD 2BR Fair Market Rent rises $776/mo ($9,312/yr) from $1,042 in Las Cruces to $1,818 in Kingston.
The seven-dimension ledger splits (4 destination wins · 2 origin wins); priorities decide this move. Kingston sits #330 of 387 metros on PlainRelocate livability (bottom third of the corpus). Las Cruces is #191/387 on the same ranking. Composite verdict: Favorable. Override it with the dimension table below.
BLS OEWS median salary moves $3,941 higher ($62,792 → $66,733). Labor-market size: 72,370 tracked jobs at origin vs 52,520 at destination.
State retirement friendliness favors staying put: New Mexico scores 59 (D, #28/51) vs New York at 46 (F, #46/51). Full state tax and healthcare sub-scores sit in the retirement desk below.
State retirement friendliness
Primary-state scores from PlainRelocate's retirement registry (tax + healthcare + climate composite). Metro pairs use each metro's primary state abbreviation.
- Income tax
- 78
- Property tax
- 77
- Estate tax
- 100
- Healthcare
- 50
- Income tax
- 80
- Property tax
- 48
- Estate tax
- 50
- Healthcare
- 96
Full retirement ranking · Source composite documented on methodology (Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides + federal healthcare/climate inputs).
Salary Adjustment Calculator
Enter your current salary in Las Cruces to see what you'd need to earn in Kingston to maintain the same purchasing power.
Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA; retirement desk: Tax Foundation + AARP tax guides June 2026