Fargo, ND vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Fargo to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($327,854 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Fargo 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 Fargo, ND, you'd need about $110,266 in Las Vegas, NV (+$10,266).
Livability — Fargo, ND: 68 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,592 sqft in Fargo vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($193 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Fargo, ND | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $13,872 | $20,844 | +$6,972 |
| Groceries | $4,850 | $4,841 | −$8 |
| Transportation | $3,130 | $4,740 | +$1,610 |
| Utilities | $1,332 | $1,548 | +$216 |
| Insurance | $2,100 | $1,300 | −$800 |
| Taxes | $8,083 | $4,779 | −$3,304 |
| Total | $33,367 | $38,052 | +$4,685 |
Side by side
| Metric | Fargo, ND | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 89.1 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 3.11% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 8.2% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.07 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $327,854 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 4.5× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | 3.2% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $193 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,156 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 8.8% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 7.04% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 1.20% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $7,000 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $10,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 18 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $2,100 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,400 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 12.3 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.20 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 290 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 84 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | -2 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |