Portland, OR vs Las Vegas, NV
Moving from Portland to Las Vegas? Here's what changes — from your equivalent salary to housing ($552,022 → $430,650 median home) and taxes.
Portland 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 Portland, OR, you'd need about $92,102 in Las Vegas, NV (−$7,898).
Livability — Portland, OR: 55 · Las Vegas, NV: 65 (0–100).
What your home budget buys
A $500,000 home budget gets you about 1,540 sqft in Portland vs 2,206 sqft in Las Vegas ($325 vs $227 per sqft).
Annual cost breakdown (at $100,000)
| Category | Portland, OR | Las Vegas, NV | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Housing | $21,564 | $20,844 | −$720 |
| Groceries | $5,240 | $4,841 | −$399 |
| Transportation | $3,680 | $4,740 | +$1,060 |
| Utilities | $1,704 | $1,548 | −$156 |
| Insurance | $900 | $1,300 | +$400 |
| Taxes | $14,382 | $4,779 | −$9,603 |
| Total | $47,470 | $38,052 | −$9,418 |
Side by side
| Metric | Portland, OR | Las Vegas, NV |
|---|---|---|
| Cost-of-living index | 106.7 | 98.3 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.06% | 7.66% |
| Population growth (5-yr) | 5.2% | 7.3% |
| Air quality (median AQI) | 38 | 64 |
| Big Mac price (est.) | $6.07 | $5.59 |
| Median home price | $552,022 | $430,650 |
| Home price ÷ income | 6.1× | 6.2× |
| 1-yr home appreciation | -1.1% | -2.7% |
| Price per square foot | $325 | $227 |
| Median rent | $1,797 | $1,737 |
| Total tax burden (% income) | 10.8% | 9.6% |
| Combined sales tax | 0.00% | 8.23% |
| Capital gains tax | 9.90% | None |
| Property tax rate | 0.92% | 0.51% |
| Healthcare (annual) | $6,600 | $6,400 |
| Childcare (annual, infant) | $15,000 | $11,000 |
| Vehicle property tax | None | 2.12% |
| Avg commute (min) | 26 | 25 |
| Home insurance / yr | $900 | $1,300 |
| Auto insurance / yr | $1,500 | $2,400 |
| Flood insurance / yr | $650 | $500 |
| Earthquake insurance / yr | $600 | $400 |
| Electricity ¢/kWh | 15.8 | 14.3 |
| Gas $/gal | 4.10 | 4.20 |
| Violent crime /100k | 340 | 460 |
| Avg summer high °F | 82 | 95 |
| Avg winter low °F | 34 | 30 |
| Permit difficulty (1–5) | 4 | 3 |