Cedar Rapids, IA vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Cedar Rapids to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($244,344 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Cedar Rapids 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 Cedar Rapids, IA, you'd need about $109,224 in Las Vegas, NV (+$9,224).
Livability — Cedar Rapids, IA: 72 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 3,376 sqft in Cedar Rapids vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($148 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Cedar Rapids, IA | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $14,808 | $20,844 | +$6,036 |
| Groceries | $4,831 | $4,841 | +$10 |
| Transportation | $3,150 | $4,740 | +$1,590 |
| Utilities | $1,500 | $1,548 | +$48 |
| Insurance | $1,700 | $1,300 | −$400 |
| Taxes | $9,296 | $4,779 | −$4,517 |
| Total | $35,285 | $38,052 | +$2,767 |
Side by side
| Metric | Cedar Rapids, IA | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 90.0 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.63% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 3.6% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 44 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.12 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $244,344 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 3.2× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.6% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $148 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,234 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 11.2% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.94% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 3.80% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.64% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.00% | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 20 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,700 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,200 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $700 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 13.9 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.10 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 300 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 85 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 12 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |