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Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
Crunching costs, sorting signals, rendering insights.
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 5 cities in Nevada on solo-living metrics. Las Vegas leads at index 99 with rent of $1,695/mo (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
#1 Ranked: Las Vegas — cost index 99, rent $1,695/mo, income $70,723
Singles scoring: rent $1,695/mo (solo housing), cost index 99, population 660,929 — livability on one income
Data sourced from Census Bureau, Zillow, BLS, and Tax Foundation — current as of 2026
No second income to fall back on. Our model scored 5 cities in Nevada on solo-living metrics. Las Vegas leads at index 99 with rent of $1,695/mo (not adjusted for inflation, but still telling).
Here's Las Vegas by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 99. Rent: $1,695/month. Income: $70,723/year. Home price: $422,842. Population: 660,929. The strongest category is Housing at 99; the most expensive is Healthcare at 100. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $2,400 per year vs. the national median. That gap is hard to ignore.
Bottom line: Las Vegas leads this ranking for clear, data-backed reasons — but the "best" city depends on your priorities. Click into any city below to see the full detail page with 12-month trend charts, profession-specific salary data, and a breakdown of all five cost categories. If you're seriously considering a move, use our salary calculator to model your specific income against these numbers.
660,929 residents · Nevada
Dive into Las Vegas's numbers: cost index 99 (12 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 — Housing is the cheapest category at 99, while Healthcare runs 100. As a major city with 660,929 residents, amenities and job markets are robust.
337,305 residents · Nevada
The #2 spot goes to Henderson, and the breakdown explains why. Renters here pay $1,772/month — saving renters $1,476 per year compared to the national average. Meanwhile, Healthcare is the standout at index 101, keeping costs manageable. The weak spot? Housing at 103. At a 24% rent-to-income ratio, there's genuine breathing room in the average household budget.
284,771 residents · Nevada
The numbers for North Las Vegas are straightforward: 106 on the cost index, $1,819/month rent, $76,772 income. Not the most exciting entry in the list, but solid. That's more or less in line with the region. Hard to argue with that.
274,915 residents · Nevada
Here's Reno by the numbers — and there's a lot to like (and a little to watch). Cost index: 107. Rent: $1,830/month. Income: $78,448/year. Home price: $559,591. Population: 274,915. The strongest category is Healthcare at 101; the most expensive is Housing at 107. Translate that rent to annual numbers, and residents are saving renters $780 per year vs. the national median. That's a red flag worth investigating further.
110,323 residents · Nevada
What does daily life actually cost in Sparks? Start with the 27% rent-to-income ratio — tight but manageable for most households. And with some exceptions, on the category level, Healthcare (index 103) is where the real savings show up, while Housing (index 115) is the line item most likely to surprise newcomers. Income at $86,979 and homes at $523,431 round out a profile that ranks #5 for clear reasons.
Las Vegas ranks #1 in Nevada for this analysis with a cost index of 99 and median income of $70,723.
Las Vegas scores highest for singles due to its below-average cost of living, 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 99 and rent of $1,695/mo, while Sparks (ranked #5) has a cost index of 115 and rent of $1,967/mo — a 16-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.