Phoenix, AZ vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Phoenix to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($448,352 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Phoenix 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 Phoenix, AZ, you'd need about $93,895 in Las Vegas, NV (−$6,105).
Livability — Phoenix, AZ: 62 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 2,063 sqft in Phoenix vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($242 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Phoenix, AZ | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $20,904 | $20,844 | −$60 |
| Groceries | $4,919 | $4,841 | −$78 |
| Transportation | $3,960 | $4,740 | +$780 |
| Utilities | $1,668 | $1,548 | −$120 |
| Insurance | $1,800 | $1,300 | −$500 |
| Taxes | $7,280 | $4,779 | −$2,501 |
| Total | $40,531 | $38,052 | −$2,479 |
Side by side
| Metric | Phoenix, AZ | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 104.7 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 4.88% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 6.7% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 86 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $5.96 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $448,352 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 5.6× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.7% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $242 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,742 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 9.5% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.38% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 2.50% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.51% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,300 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $12,500 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | 1.68% | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 27 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $1,800 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,900 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $550 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $100 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.5 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 3.60 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 430 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 104 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 41 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 2 | 3 |