Want to live and work in El Paso?

El Paso is one of the most affordable cities in the United States for its size. The cost of living runs about 15% below the national average, with housing leading the advantage. A one-bedroom apartment rents for $800 to $1,100 in most parts of the city. Three-bedroom homes sell for under $220,000 in many neighborhoods.

Texas has no state income tax. Property tax runs between 2.4% and 2.8% per year, higher than the state average but applied to low property values. The combined sales tax is 8.25%. Grocery chains like Albertsons, Walmart, and local Hispanic supermarkets keep food prices very competitive, especially for Latin products.

Gas is cheap. Electricity costs spike in summer from the heat (July and August can reach 104°F). Car insurance is cheaper than in larger metros. Healthcare without insurance is expensive, but University Medical Center and the El Paso County Hospital District system serve patients without documentation on a sliding-scale basis. Crossing into Juárez for dental care, eyeglasses, and medications is a common practice, though it comes with border complications.

El Paso's economy is dominated by four sectors. The military is the largest: Fort Bliss, one of the biggest U.S. Army installations in the country, employs more than 33,000 active-duty soldiers plus civilians and supports tens of thousands of indirect jobs. Holloman Air Force Base and White Sands Missile Range (in New Mexico) add to the regional military footprint.

Healthcare is strong, with University Medical Center of El Paso (public), Hospitals of Providence (multiple campuses), and Las Palmas Medical Center. Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center trains doctors and nurses. Logistics and customs employ thousands (CBP, ICE, cross-border trucking firms). Government (federal, state, and municipal) and education (EPISD, UTEP) are also major sectors.

The manufacturing sector, especially electronics and maquiladora production, is deeply integrated with Juárez (over 300 factories on the Mexican side employ hundreds of thousands). For immigrants, jobs in construction, restaurants, hospitality, logistics, cross-border transportation, and domestic care are abundant. Native Spanish fluency is an advantage in almost every field; English is required for administrative roles.

El Paso has an adequate hospital network for its size. University Medical Center of El Paso (UMC, formerly Thomason Hospital) is the county's public health system, the region's main trauma center, and the primary option for many uninsured patients. El Paso Children's Hospital handles pediatrics. Hospitals of Providence (Sierra Campus, Memorial Campus, East Campus, and Transmountain Campus) is the largest private network. Las Palmas Medical Center and Del Sol Medical Center round out the options.

Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center El Paso functions as a teaching hospital, with the Paul L. Foster School of Medicine training physicians. For highly complex cases, patients travel to Houston (MD Anderson) or Phoenix. Emergency care is expensive without insurance, but UMC offers a sliding-scale access program (CarePlus).

One distinctive feature of El Paso: many residents cross into Juárez for medical, dental, pharmaceutical, and optical services at far lower prices. Clinics and pharmacies on Avenida 16 de Septiembre and around the Cathedral in Juárez serve El Paso patients daily. The practice comes with trade-offs (variable quality, border wait times), but it is a normal part of border life. For undocumented immigrants on the US side, UMC and Project Vida (a community clinic) are the main entry points to care.

El Paso is a car city, but it has a better public transit network than the Texas average. Sun Metro operates buses throughout the city and runs the Brio Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system, with several fast lines connecting UTEP, Downtown, the East Side, and the Northeast. The Sun Streetcar line returned to service in 2018 in Downtown and Sunset Heights, running vintage-style trolleys.

The main road corridors are I-10 (running east-west through the city), Loop 375 (Border Highway), US-54 (toward New Mexico), and Trans Mountain Road (crossing the Franklin Mountains). There are three international bridges to Juárez: Bridge of the Americas (BOTA), Paso del Norte (Santa Fe Street), and Ysleta-Zaragoza. Wait times can range from 15 minutes to 3 hours depending on the time of day and queue length.

El Paso International Airport (ELP) has domestic flights to Dallas, Houston, Phoenix, Denver, Albuquerque, Las Vegas, and a few Mexican destinations (Ciudad Juárez occasionally). For international flights, connections through Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, or Miami are required. Biking has been gaining ground, but summer heat and distances limit its practical use.

El Paso is the heart of Borderland culture: an identity that blends Mexican and American in an inseparable way. Mariachi, banda norteña, and cumbia play at parties and restaurants. Spanish and English share space on radio stations, in churches, and at shopping malls. Quinceañera celebrations are an institution. The American and Mexican flags fly side by side at schools and homes.

The food scene is one of the most authentic on the border: chiles rellenos with queso, gorditas, menudo (tripe soup, a traditional weekend morning staple), Sunday barbacoa, asadero (melted cheese), pan dulce. Legendary restaurants include L&J Cafe, H&H Car Wash and Coffee Shop, Chicos Tacos (a local institution), Carlos & Mickey's, and Tom's Place. Tex-Mex here is different: more Mexican and less Texan than in San Antonio.

Culture also includes the Chamizal National Memorial (commemorating the 1963 treaty that resolved the border dispute between the US and Mexico), El Paso Museum of Art, El Paso Museum of History, Plaza Theatre (1930, an art deco gem), and the Mission Trail (with the missions of Ysleta, Socorro, and Presidio Chapel San Elizario, built in the 17th and 18th centuries, though without UNESCO designation in the US). Major events: Sun Bowl (college football in December), Plaza Classic Film Festival, Neon Desert Music Festival.

El Paso has one of the highest proportions of foreign-born residents of any US city (about 25.5%, close to 173,000 people). The large majority come from Mexico, reflecting centuries of binational movement with Ciudad Juárez on the other side of the Rio Grande. Many families have relatives on both sides of the border and cross daily to work, study, or visit. The Borderland identity is central to everyday life and the labor market.

In recent years, Honduran, Salvadoran, Guatemalan, Cuban, Venezuelan, and Colombian communities have grown significantly, many arriving through asylum processes at the southern border. Smaller communities include Filipinos, South Koreans, Germans, and Iraqis connected to Fort Bliss military families, along with small Lebanese and Syrian communities established in the city for generations. El Paso is home to the largest Consulate-General of Mexico outside of Mexico City, with jurisdiction over west Texas and New Mexico.

The support network is experienced and extensive. Annunciation House has provided shelter to asylum seekers for over 45 years. Diocesan Migrant & Refugee Services provides legal representation to immigrants. Border Network for Human Rights (BNHR) advocates for civil rights throughout the border region. Las Americas Immigrant Advocacy Center, Hope Border Institute, and Catholic Charities of the Diocese of El Paso complete an ecosystem of legal assistance, shelter, and social services for newcomers of any background.