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Another cost of living part that people forget is the cost of heat and in Las Cruces you might "need" to heat your home for 6 weeks out of the year but wouldn't die if you didn't heat it at all.
To everyone who said you would need the same salary or higher for same level of comefort in LC...YEAH RIGHT!!!!! EVERYTHING is cheaper in LC. From groceries to restaurants to housing. We went from living in a 700 square foot garden level condo in the "ghetto" of FC (which isn't very ghetto at all compared to other places, just older), to a beautiful 3B 2b house in one of the nicest areas in town for the same rent. This house in FC would run about $500 more a month. We can eat at a restuarant and spend about 1/2 what we would pay in FC. We can go to the grocery store and for $100 get food for a week or two. Cost of living in Las Cruces is substantially lower than Fort Collins. Not to mention the people are very friendly.
Also no offence mike0421, but you clearly don't know FC as well as you think you do, simply because you have family that lives there. Winsor and Loveland have a much lower cost of housing than FC, both of which are still higher than LC. I know this because I lived in FC and looked at renting and purchasing in L and W. Cost of living in Fc, and just about anywhere in the CO front range, is pretty high. I would compare FC to Santa Fe.
Thats plenty of money for here, but the quality of life issue may need more visits. We moved here after a short stay too. Loved the place 4 years ago. Things have changed since then, as they have everywhere. The economy is very stagnant, crime is going up, and from what I see people like yourself aren't moving here much anymore, while people I wouldn't want to be around are moving here in higher numbers because it's better than where they are in Mexico.
There's a real disconnect from reality here. We lie 50 miles from one of the most dangerous and crime ridden cities in the world. In fact, I can't think of a more dangerous place than Juarez unless it was engaged in an all out war or revolution. The horror is almost unimaginable, but the media here, such as it is, does a wonderful job of spinning it or just not reporting it. There is a definite growing Mexican gang problem, and it's finally coming out how corrupt the border agents are. Gun running, drugs, criminal organizations buying government politicians and agents (we're talking about the US agents and politicians and agents here. Mexico has had this problem for a long, long time). You need to ask yourself, do I want to live in a place 50 miles from a third world country w/ horrendous crime, in an economy that is not going to be recovering for many years? Things are spilling over here, money is drying up to do anything about it, and the chances of being a crime victim go up all the time. Even if you don't get caught up with that, I hope, do you want to see gangs and poverty? You can't live your life w/ blinders on. There's also the weather. Do you like hot, scorching summers that go on far too long, and winters that are colder than anything I've ever experienced in my life. My wife works in the public schools here, and the less said about them, the better. Please, do NOT believe what you hear from realtors and Chamber of Commerce people (not just here, anyplace).
Sorry to paint things bleakly, and of course there's good things here, but as I said, things are changing. After 4 years of living here we've seen enough and are moving. It was a pretty nice town 4 years ago, but for a LOT of reasons it's rapidly changing. And no one is going to do anything about it. Most people here don't even acknowledge the crime, poverty, and gangs. Know why? Because it's 100 times worse where they came from down south. This isn't an anti-Mexican rant, it's a sober, clear eyed description of life next to a country that is essentially lawless and out of control. Live somewhere 4 years and you learn a little bit about it.
Thats plenty of money for here, but the quality of life issue may need more visits. We moved here after a short stay too. Loved the place 4 years ago. Things have changed since then, as they have everywhere. The economy is very stagnant, crime is going up, and from what I see people like yourself aren't moving here much anymore, while people I wouldn't want to be around are moving here in higher numbers because it's better than where they are in Mexico.
There's a real disconnect from reality here. We lie 50 miles from one of the most dangerous and crime ridden cities in the world. In fact, I can't think of a more dangerous place than Juarez unless it was engaged in an all out war or revolution. The horror is almost unimaginable, but the media here, such as it is, does a wonderful job of spinning it or just not reporting it. There is a definite growing Mexican gang problem, and it's finally coming out how corrupt the border agents are. Gun running, drugs, criminal organizations buying government politicians and agents (we're talking about the US agents and politicians and agents here. Mexico has had this problem for a long, long time). You need to ask yourself, do I want to live in a place 50 miles from a third world country w/ horrendous crime, in an economy that is not going to be recovering for many years? Things are spilling over here, money is drying up to do anything about it, and the chances of being a crime victim go up all the time. Even if you don't get caught up with that, I hope, do you want to see gangs and poverty? You can't live your life w/ blinders on. There's also the weather. Do you like hot, scorching summers that go on far too long, and winters that are colder than anything I've ever experienced in my life. My wife works in the public schools here, and the less said about them, the better. Please, do NOT believe what you hear from realtors and Chamber of Commerce people (not just here, anyplace).
Sorry to paint things bleakly, and of course there's good things here, but as I said, things are changing. After 4 years of living here we've seen enough and are moving. It was a pretty nice town 4 years ago, but for a LOT of reasons it's rapidly changing. And no one is going to do anything about it. Most people here don't even acknowledge the crime, poverty, and gangs. Know why? Because it's 100 times worse where they came from down south. This isn't an anti-Mexican rant, it's a sober, clear eyed description of life next to a country that is essentially lawless and out of control. Live somewhere 4 years and you learn a little bit about it.
Please provide examples of any violence whatsoever "spilling over" from Mexico into Las Cruces. I'll also take any actual statistics showing crime rates going up over the past 4 years.
I'll wait.
As for the "coldest winters", we have one cold winter that breaks 60 year records and all of a sudden it's something that you think is going to happen over and over?
Yes, it is hot here. Anyone who moves here should be prepared for that. But the winters aren't typically very cold compared to most of the country.
Las Cruces is one of the cheapest places to live in the entire country. It even makes Albuquerque look expensive in terms of rents and food prices, which is saying alot!
We're over in Alamogordo and come to Las Cruces once a week to shop, eat and go to a movie sometimes. Didn't realize the cost-of-living was so cheap there. Interesting.
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