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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 5 cities across Nevada for that equation. Las Vegas — cost index 106 — for better or worse — , utilities 98, rent $1,695/mo — leads (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
#1 Ranked: Las Vegas — cost index 106, rent $1,695/mo, income $70,723
Remote-worker scoring: cost index 106, utilities index 98, income $70,723 — maximizing geographic arbitrage
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
The remote work era changed the math: earn a tech salary, live in an affordable market. We analyzed 5 cities across Nevada for that equation. Las Vegas — cost index 106 — for better or worse — , utilities 98, rent $1,695/mo — leads (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
In plain English: Dive into Las Vegas's numbers: cost index 106 (6 points below national average), rent $1,695/month, income $70,723, and a home price of $422,842. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 98, while Housing runs 116. As a major city with 660,929 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
What to do with this data: use the ranking as a shortlist, then dig into the city profiles for trend lines and category breakdowns. The difference between #1 and #5 is often smaller than the difference between "good on paper" and "actually fits my life." Compare your top picks with our calculator to see real take-home numbers.
660,929 residents · Nevada
So, Las Vegas. Cost index of 106 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — , rent at $1,695/month. It's lower than the national average. Median income is $70,723, which is below the national median. That's more or less in line with the region.
337,305 residents · Nevada
What does daily life actually cost in Henderson? Start with the 24% rent-to-income ratio — that's the kind of margin that lets people build savings. On the category level, Utilities (index 102) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 126) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $88,654 — make of that what you will — and homes at $483,159 round out a profile that ranks #2 for clear reasons.
284,771 residents · Nevada
Dive into North Las Vegas's numbers: cost index 108 (4 points below national average), rent $1,819/month, income $76,772, and a home price of $404,089. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 99, while Housing runs 119. With 284,771 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
274,915 residents · Nevada
Why Reno ranks #4: the numbers tell a clear story. At 115 on the cost index, residents spend roughly 3% more than the typical American. Rent sits at $1,830/month while the median household pulls in $78,448/year. The Utilities category is particularly strong at 106, though Housing (137) lags behind. Home prices average $559,591 — $92,221 above the national median (and that gap widens if you factor in state taxes).
110,323 residents · Nevada
Dive into Sparks's numbers: cost index 115 — which, honestly, is lower than you'd expect here — (3 points above national average), rent $1,967/month, income $86,979, and a home price of $523,431. The city's cost profile isn't flat — Utilities is the cheapest category at 106, while Housing runs 138. That tracks. With 110,323 residents, it balances mid-size city convenience with manageable costs.
Las Vegas ranks #1 in Nevada for this analysis with a cost index of 106 and median income of $70,723.
Las Vegas scores highest for remote workers due to its strong income potential, median rent of $1,695/mo, and competitive median income of $70,723.
Our cost of living index uses real Zillow rent data as the foundation, indexed to 100 (national median). Sub-categories (housing, food, transport, utilities, healthcare) are derived from the overall index with regional adjustments. Data is updated monthly.
Las Vegas (ranked #1) has a cost index of 106 and rent of $1,695/mo, while Sparks (ranked #5) has a cost index of 115 and rent of $1,967/mo — a 9-point difference in cost of living.
City data is refreshed monthly from Census Bureau population estimates, Zillow rent and home price indices, BLS salary data, and Tax Foundation tax rates. Last updated: 2026.
The median 1-bedroom rent in Las Vegas is $1,695/month as of 2026, based on Zillow's Observed Rent Index. This is $200 below the national median of $1,895/month.
The median home price in Las Vegas is $422,842, which is 6.0× the local median income. Most median-income households would stretch to buy at this ratio. The national median home price is $467,370.
Nevada has a 0% state income tax rate — one of the states with no income tax. Combined state and local sales tax averages 8.23%, and the effective property tax rate is 0.48%.
This ranking was generated using data current as of early 2026. Population and income data comes from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey (5-year estimates). Rent and home price data is from Zillow's monthly releases. Tax rates are from the Tax Foundation's 2025 edition. Rankings are refreshed monthly.