What it's like to live in El Paso
El Paso is a major city in Texas with rent below the national average, home prices that remain within reach, and schools with class sizes near the national average. Those factors carry real weight for anyone weighing where to move next.
The tradeoffs are worth naming plainly. El Paso deals with household incomes below the national average, air quality that falls short of national benchmarks, hospital ratings below the national average, and a poverty rate above the national average.
The good
- Rent below the national average
- Affordable home prices
- Average class sizes
The not so good
- Below-average household incomes
- Air quality concerns
- Below-average hospital ratings
- High poverty rate
- High rent burden for renters
- Hot summers
How El Paso compares
Median household income
Median rent (per month)
Median home value
What it takes to move to El Paso
Based on El Paso's median rent, home value and household income
To rent
$2,146
up front: first month plus a typical one-month deposit
- Income to keep rent under 30%: $42,920 a year
- 50% of El Paso renters spend 30% or more of their income on rent
To buy
$36,900
a 20% down payment on the median home
- With 10% down: $18,450
- Homes cost 3.1× the typical local household income (US: 4.1×)
Moving costs, closing costs and taxes not included.
The details
Cost of living▼ 24% below US
$1,073/mo median rent
Cost of living works in this city's favor. Median rent sits around $1,073 a month, nothing that raises eyebrows. Solid value overall. Home prices here are genuinely accessible, with a median around $184,500. That kind of affordability is rare in today's market.
Median home value $184,500 · 50% of renters cost-burdened
Job marketNear US average
4.2% unemployment
Unemployment here is 4.2%, close to the national average of 4.3%.
City-level (BLS)
Safety▼ 12% below US
289 violent crimes per 100k
Crime runs about typical for a city this size. Some neighborhoods are safer than others, and one overall rate doesn't tell the whole story, so a neighborhood-level look matters more than the headline stat.
Property crime 1341/100k · El Paso Police Department · 2025 data
Getting around▼ 10% below US
23 min average commute
Commutes are reasonable, averaging 23.4 minutes. Nothing heroic, and there's still time left over for a life after work. 9 in 10 workers drive to work; 9% work from home.
How workers get to work
Climate
Summers run seriously hot, with average highs pushing 96°F, and winters are chilly but manageable, with lows around 36°F. It's a dry climate with limited rainfall.
Average month
30-year averages, 1991–2020
Healthcare
11 hospitals
There are 11 Medicare-certified hospitals inside city limits. They average 2.2 out of 5 on Medicare's star rating.
Medicare-certified hospitals
Education & workforce▼ 22% below US
28% bachelor's degree or higher
College degree attainment runs below average at 28%. That tends to reflect a more trade and working-class economy, which can be great or limiting depending on the industry.
Schools
184 public schools inside the boundary
There are 184 public schools inside the boundary and 31 private schools. The student-to-teacher ratio is 17:1, close to the national average of 16:1.
Parks & recreation
The nearest national park or historic site is Chamizal National Memorial (6 miles away). There are 4 national parks and sites within a day's drive.
Bottom line
El Paso's strongest points are rent below the national average and home prices that remain within reach; the main tradeoffs are household incomes below the national average and air quality that falls short of national benchmarks. A year of median rent ($1,073/mo) equals 22% of the median household income here, about the same as the 21% typical nationwide. It tends to suit people watching their budget. It may be a harder fit for anyone who doesn't drive.
Other places near El Paso
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