Durham, NC vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Durham to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($414,340 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Durham 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 Durham, NC, you'd need about $100,965 in Las Vegas, NV (+$965).
Livability — Durham, NC: 65 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,413 sqft in Durham vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($207 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Durham, NC | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,436 | $20,844 | +$408 |
| Groceries | $4,840 | $4,841 | +$2 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,740 | +$1,610 |
| Utilities | $1,752 | $1,548 | −$204 |
| Insurance | $2,000 | $1,300 | −$700 |
| Taxes | $9,397 | $4,779 | −$4,618 |
| Total | $41,555 | $38,052 | −$3,503 |
Side by side
| Metric | Durham, NC | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 97.3 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.03% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 17.8% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 51 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.54 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $414,340 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.4× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.9% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $207 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,703 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.9% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 6.98% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 4.25% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.87% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.10% | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,000 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $800 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 16.3 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 400 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 89 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 3 |