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Denver vs Las Vegas

Denver, CO  ·  Las Vegas, NV

TL;DR

Denver cost-of-living index is 121 vs 103 for Las Vegas (US = 100). Median home: $565,000 vs $415,000. Median rent: $1,395/mo vs $1,068/mo.

Source: Zillow ZHVI/ZORI · Census ACS, 2026-04-19

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Las Vegas is 15% cheaper than Denver overall.

Written by Jere Salmisto, Founder & Quantitative Systems Builder, CalcFi·Reviewed by CalcFi Editorial·Last reviewed 2026-04-19

Home Price

Denver: $565,000

Las: $415,000

Monthly Rent

Denver: $1,395/mo

Las: $1,068/mo

COL Index

Denver: 121

Las: 103

Median Income

Denver: $85,200

Las: $62,600

Side-by-Side Comparison

Metric
Denver
Las Vegas
Winner
🏠

Median Home Price

$565,000
$415,000
Las Vegas
🏢

Monthly Rent (Median)

$1,395/mo
$1,068/mo
Las Vegas
💰

Median Household Income

$85,200
$62,600
Denver
📋

Property Tax Rate

0.55%
0.6%
Denver
📊

Cost of Living Index

100 = national average

121
103
Las Vegas
🚗

Avg. Commute

26 min
25 min
Las Vegas
📈

Unemployment Rate

3.3%
5%
Denver
👥

Median Age

36.6 yrs
37.7 yrs
Las Vegas

What This Means For You

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Buying Power

A $100,000 salary in Denver has the same purchasing power as $85,124 in Las Vegas — based on each city's cost of living index.

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Housing

Homes in Las Vegas cost 27% more (-$150,000 extra). Expect a larger mortgage and down payment.

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Renting

Renting in Las Vegas saves you $327/month — $3,924 per year. Median rent: $1,395/mo in Denver vs $1,068/mo in Las Vegas.

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Property Taxes

On a median-priced home, Denver owners pay roughly $3,108/year in property taxes vs $2,490/year in Las Vegas. That's a $618 annual difference.

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Local Earnings

Median household income is $85,200 in Denver and $62,600 in Las Vegas. Las Vegas residents earn 27% more — but remember to factor in cost of living.

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Daily Commute

Average commute is 26 minutes in Denver vs 25 minutes in Las Vegas. Commute times are nearly identical.

Salary Equivalence

To maintain the same lifestyle when moving from Denver to Las Vegas, here's the salary you'd need:

Salary in DenverEquivalent in Las VegasDifference
$50,000$42,562-$7,438
$75,000$63,843-$11,157
$100,000$85,124-$14,876
$150,000$127,686-$22,314
$200,000$170,248-$29,752

* Calculated using cost of living indices (national average = 100). Does not account for state income tax differences.

Run the Numbers

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Mortgage Calculator

See monthly payments for homes in either city

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Rent vs Buy

Is it cheaper to rent or buy in these markets?

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Cost of Living

Full cost of living comparison tool

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Home Appreciation

Project future home value growth

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Affordability Calculator

How much home can you afford?

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Property Tax Calculator

Estimate taxes in Denver or Las Vegas

Denver Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Denver→ Rent vs buy in Denver

Las Vegas Calculators

→ Mortgage calculator for Las Vegas→ Rent vs buy in Las Vegas

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Denver vs Las Vegas: Common Questions

Is Denver or Las Vegas cheaper to live in?

Based on cost of living indices, Las Vegas is cheaper overall. Denver has a COL index of 121 while Las Vegas scores 103 (national average = 100).

How do home prices compare between Denver and Las Vegas?

The median home price in Denver is $565,000 vs $415,000 in Las Vegas — a difference of $150,000 (27%).

What salary do I need in Las Vegas to match my Denver income?

Use the salary equivalence table above. For example, a $100K salary in Denver is equivalent to $85,124 in Las Vegas in terms of purchasing power.

Which city has lower property taxes?

Denver has a lower property tax rate (0.55% vs 0.6%). On a median-priced home, that means paying $2,490/year vs $3,108/year.

How does rent compare in Denver vs Las Vegas?

Median monthly rent: $1,395 in Denver vs $1,068 in Las Vegas. Annualized: $16,740 vs $12,816.

What is the median household income in each city?

Denver: $85,200/yr. Las Vegas: $62,600/yr (Census ACS).

Which city is better for remote workers?

Lower-cost Las Vegas typically lets remote-workers keeping a coastal salary stretch further. Higher-cost cities usually win on amenities and labor-market depth.

Where does the data on this comparison come from?

Numbers are pulled from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI (home values, rent), the U.S. Census Bureau ACS (income), and BEA RPP (cost-of-living index). Each value is timestamped on the page.

How often is this comparison updated?

Source feeds refresh on their native cadence — hourly for mortgage rates, monthly for ZHVI/ZORI, annually for ACS. Page caches revalidate every 24 hours via Next.js ISR.

Does this comparison replace tax or financial advice?

No. This page is educational reference using public data and standard formulas. It is not personalized tax, legal, or investment advice. Consult a licensed professional for material decisions.

Sources & Citations

  1. Zillow Research — Zillow Home Value Index (ZHVI) and Observed Rent Index (ZORI) — zillow.com/research/data
  2. U.S. Census Bureau — American Community Survey (ACS) 5-year estimates for median household income, median age, commute time — census.gov/acs
  3. Bureau of Economic Analysis — Regional Price Parities (RPP) by state and metro — bea.gov/rpp
  4. Tax Foundation — effective property tax rates and state tax rates — taxfoundation.org
  5. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics — unemployment rates and regional CPI — bls.gov
  6. Council for Community and Economic Research (C2ER) — Cost of Living Index — coli.org
Methodology & Assumptions

City-level metrics (median home price, median rent, median household income, property tax rate, COL index, commute, unemployment, median age) are sourced from Zillow ZHVI/ZORI[1], Census ACS 5-year estimates[2], BEA Regional Price Parities[3], Tax Foundation[4], and BLS Local Area Unemployment Statistics[5].

The Cost of Living Index uses 100 = national average (C2ER methodology[6]): values above 100 indicate a city is more expensive than the national average, below 100 less expensive.

Salary equivalence uses the ratio adjustedSalary = salary × (colDestination / colOrigin). This accounts for cost-of-living differences but does not model state income tax variation, which can be significant.

Annual property tax is computed as medianHomePrice × propertyTaxRate. Actual assessed value may differ from sale price. Effective rates vary within a metro; these are metro-wide medians.

Commute-hours calculations assume 250 working days/year and a round-trip commute. "Tied" in the comparison table means values within ±1% of each other.

Last reviewed reflects the maximum retrievedAt timestamp across every sourced dataset feeding this page. When any source refreshes, the next ISR revalidation (every 24 hours) picks the new date.

Cost of living data sourced from [6] C2ER, [2] U.S. Census Bureau, and [1] Zillow Research. Tax rates from [4] Tax Foundation. Last reviewed 2026-04-19.