$199,000 buys the median home in Las Cruces right now. With 20% down, that's a $39,800 down payment and a $159,200 loan, set against a $40,100 median household income.
Las Cruces's 0.8% property tax rate runs below the 1.1% national average. That's $133/month on the median home here, not a rounding error against the mortgage payment.
New Mexico levies a state income tax on top of the $1,247/month this mortgage runs. Model your real after-tax take-home before deciding how much payment you can carry.
Las Cruces's cost of living index is 88, below the 100 national baseline. That's on top of the housing numbers above, not instead of them.
Las Cruces's median home price runs 36% lower than nearby Albuquerque: $310,000 there versus $199,000 here.