Las Vegas, NV vs Phoenix, AZ
Moving from Las Vegas to Phoenix? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($430,650 → $448,352 median home) and taxes.
Las Vegas vs Phoenix 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 Las Vegas, NV, you'd need about $106,501 in Phoenix, AZ (+$6,501).
Livability — Las Vegas, NV: 65 · Phoenix, AZ: 62 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas vs 2,063 sqft in Phoenix ($227 vs $242 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Las Vegas, NV | Phoenix, AZ | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,844 | $20,904 | +$60 |
| Groceries | $4,841 | $4,919 | +$78 |
| Transportation | $4,740 | $3,960 | −$780 |
| Utilities | $1,548 | $1,668 | +$120 |
| Insurance | $1,300 | $1,800 | +$500 |
| Taxes | $4,779 | $7,280 | +$2,502 |
| Total | $38,052 | $40,531 | +$2,479 |
Side by side
| Metric | Las Vegas, NV | Phoenix, AZ |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 98.3 | 104.7 |
| Unemployment rate | 7.66% | 4.88% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 7.3% | 6.7% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 64 | 86 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.59 | $5.96 |
| Median home price | $430,650 | $448,352 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.2× | 5.6× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -2.7% | -1.7% |
| Price per square foot | $227 | $242 |
| Median rent | $1,737 | $1,742 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.6% | 9.5% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.23% | 8.38% |
| Capital gains tax | None | 2.50% |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,400 | $6,300 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $11,000 | $12,500 |
| Vehicle property tax | 2.12% | 1.68% |
| Avg commute (min) | 25 | 27 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,300 | $1,800 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $2,400 | $1,900 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $500 | $550 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $400 | $100 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 14.3 | 15.5 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.20 | 3.60 |
| Violent crime /100k | 460 | 430 |
| Avg summer high °F | 95 | 104 |
| Avg winter low °F | 30 | 41 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 3 | 2 |