Chope's Town Cafe and Bar · Photo: Treecholla · CC BY-SA 4.0Measured against area pay, Chaparral costs less to live in than 82% of U.S. towns
It ranks #10 of 72 in New Mexico for affordability. Down 1.7% in a year, 31% below the New Mexico typical home.
Census 2020–24 home values, rents, tax bills and cost burden, measured against the median household income of the Las Cruces, NM metro area ($57K). How TownRatings grades cost of living
Only 2 sales in September 2026: in a market this size, monthly medians swing a lot, so the typical value is the steadier guide.
The grade compares costs with what households across the Las Cruces metro earn ($57K, Census 2020–24). The typical home costs 1.9 years of metro income, and 41% of renters pay 30% or more of income for housing.
In dollars
- $217Ktypical home, 31% below the New Mexico typical homeZillow, September 2026
- $970a month for a two-bedroom, utilities includedHUD Fair Market Rent, 2026
- 90prices across the Las Cruces metro, where the U.S. is 100 (housing 63)BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024
In paychecks the grade
- 1.9 yrsof area income buys the typical home; the typical U.S. town: 3.3$57K, Las Cruces-area income
- 18%of area income goes to the median rent; the typical U.S. town: 18%Census 2020–24
- 41%of renters pay 30%+ of income for housing; across New Mexico: 50%Census 2020–24
- 20%of owners do; the typical U.S. town: 20%Census 2020–24
What kind of housing town is Chaparral?
Read from the numbers below. The page puts what stands out first.
What’s behind Chaparral’s grade
Measured against what households in the area earn, Chaparral is more affordable than 82% of U.S. towns, #10 of 72 in New Mexico. Rent pulls the grade down most; property tax holds it up.
Prices here have kept pace with New Mexico: up 21.5% in five years, against 25.1% statewide (Zillow).
Up 21.5% in five years
Slower than New Mexico (25.1%).
Show as a table
| January | Chaparral | New Mexico |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | $121,000 | $177,000 |
| 2018 | $125,000 | $183,000 |
| 2019 | $133,000 | $191,000 |
| 2020 | $140,000 | $203,000 |
| 2021 | $161,000 | $228,000 |
| 2022 | $184,000 | $261,000 |
| 2023 | $199,000 | $285,000 |
| 2024 | $213,000 | $299,000 |
| 2025 | $228,000 | $310,000 |
| 2026 | $219,000 | $313,000 |
| September 2026 | $217,000 | $316,000 |
A typical Chaparral home worth $120K in October 2016 is worth about $217K today.
Zillow Home Value Index: the typical value of all homes (middle third), smoothed and seasonally adjusted, through September 2026.
A typical home costs 1.9 years of area income
The calculator starts from the area income the grade uses. Switch to Chaparral’s own median, or type yours.
That covers a typical Chaparral home, with $17K to spare.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970 a month here, $260 less than owning.
An estimate, not a loan offer: payments of up to 28% of income, a 30-year fixed loan, Chaparral’s typical property tax (0.54% of value a year, from the Census) and insurance of about 0.35%. Mortgage insurance, HOA fees and other debts aren’t included.
A two-bedroom rents for about $970
Renters already here pay a median of $853, so moving in tends to cost more than staying put.
Fair Market Rent a month, utilities included
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, Fair Market Rents by ZIP code (Las Cruces, NM MSA): the 40th-percentile rent plus utilities for a standard unit. Median rent and renters: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey.
Property tax runs below the New Mexico norm
The median bill is $588 (New Mexico: $1,731), 0.54% of a home’s value a year, against 0.70% statewide.
Census American Community Survey 2020–24: the median real-estate tax bill homeowners report, and that bill ÷ the median home value. Bills include town, school and county taxes. The Census reports bills over $10,000 only as “$10,000+”.
The rest of a budget near Chaparral
Only figures published free for the whole country, each labeled with the area it covers: the Las Cruces, NM metro area, or New Mexico. Groceries follow the goods price level; nobody publishes them town by town.
| Cost | Here | Compared with | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Prices overall U.S. = 100 | 90 | NM 92 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Goods (groceries, clothing, cars…) U.S. = 100 | 96 | NM 96 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Utilities U.S. = 100 | 78 | NM 78 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
| Other services U.S. = 100 | 99 | NM 99 | metro | BEA, 2024 |
Price levels: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities 2024 (metro area and state). Electricity: U.S. Energy Information Administration, Electric Power Monthly, table 5.6.A.
Chaparral vs. its neighbors
Of the 2 towns here with a Zillow value, Chaparral has the lowest.
Questions about the cost of living in Chaparral
Is Chaparral expensive to live in?
Measured against what households in the area earn, Chaparral costs less than 82% of U.S. towns: an A− for cost of living, #10 of 72 in New Mexico. The typical home costs 1.9 years of the median household income of the Las Cruces, NM metro area ($57K).
How much does a house cost in Chaparral?
About $217K, Zillow’s typical value for September 2026, down 1.7% in a year. The New Mexico typical home is $316K.
What salary do you need to live in Chaparral?
To buy the typical home with 20% down at 6.3%, about $53,000 a year, keeping the payment (about $1,230 a month with tax and insurance) at 28% of income. To rent a two-bedroom at 30% of income, about $39,000.
How much is rent in Chaparral?
HUD puts a two-bedroom at about $970 a month with utilities, the going rate for someone moving in. Renters already here pay a median of $853 (Census 2020–24).
What are property taxes in Chaparral?
The median bill is $588 a year, 0.54% of the median home value (New Mexico: $1,731, 0.70%), from the Census 2020–24.
Are home prices in Chaparral going up?
No: down 1.7% in the past year and 21.5% in five years, against 25.1% across New Mexico (Zillow).
Neighbors talk housing
What Chaparral buyers, sellers and renters are saying.
Home values: Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI), Zillow Research, September 2026. Sales, days on market and supply: Redfin Data Center, September 2026. Income, ownership, taxes and rent: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey. Fair Market Rents: U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The calculator is an estimate, not a loan offer. Regional price levels: BEA; electricity: EIA. How TownRatings grades cost of living.