Allentown, PA vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Allentown to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($363,989 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Allentown vs Las Vegas at a glance
Bars scaled to the range across all 200 metros; labels show actual values.
To keep the same standard of living as $100,000 in Allentown, PA, you'd need about $99,399 in Las Vegas, NV (−$601).
Livability — Allentown, PA: 63 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,404 sqft in Allentown vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($208 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Allentown, PA | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $22,284 | $20,844 | −$1,440 |
| Groceries | $4,911 | $4,841 | −$70 |
| Transportation | $3,440 | $4,740 | +$1,300 |
| Utilities | $2,316 | $1,548 | −$768 |
| Insurance | $1,200 | $1,300 | +$100 |
| Taxes | $10,058 | $4,779 | −$5,279 |
| Total | $44,209 | $38,052 | −$6,158 |
Side by side
| Metric | Allentown, PA | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.9 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.48% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 41 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.63 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $363,989 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.6× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.0% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $208 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,857 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.6% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.34% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.07% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.85% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,200 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,600 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 21.5 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.55 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 390 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 22 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |