✦ Compare
Houston vs
Las Vegas
Cost-of-living comparison and salary equivalence. Enter your current salary to see what you'd need to earn to live equally well.
Houston, TX vs Las Vegas, NV at a glance — Las Vegas, NV is 2% cheaper than Houston, TX overall. Median 1-bed rent runs about $1,400/mo versus $1,400/mo. The top national income-tax rate is 37%.
To keep the same standard of living in Las Vegas, NV, you'd need
$73,166 / year
Las Vegas, NV is 2% cheaper overall
Category breakdown (Las Vegas, NV vs Houston, TX)
- Housing+3%
- Food & groceries-3%
- Transport-3%
- Utilities-12%
- Healthcare-5%
- Goods & services-4%
Median 1-bed rent
$1,400 /mo
Houston, TX overview →
Median 1-bed rent
$1,400 /mo
Las Vegas, NV overview →
◎ How Houston, TX and Las Vegas, NV compare
Index vs the US average — the line marks 100. Lower is cheaper.
▤ Full comparison
| Houston, TX | Las Vegas, NV | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost of living | ||
| Overall cost index | 100 | 97 |
| Housing | 100 | 103 |
| Food | 96 | 93 |
| Transport | 102 | 99 |
| Utilities | 106 | 93 |
| Healthcare | 98 | 93 |
| Goods & services | 99 | 95 |
| Housing | ||
| Rent, 1-bed centre | $1,400/mo | $1,400/mo |
| Rent, 1-bed outside | $1,100/mo | $1,150/mo |
| Rent, 3-bed centre | $2,600/mo | $2,500/mo |
| Buy price / m² centre | $3,300 | $3,500 |
| Money & purchasing power | ||
| $1,000 goes as far as | $1,002 | $1,028 |
| Inexpensive meal | $16 | $18 |
| Monthly transit pass | $60 | $65 |
| Taxes | ||
| Income tax (top rate) | 37% | 37% |
| VAT / sales tax | 0% | 0% |
| Social security (employee) | 7.7% | 7.7% |
| Corporate tax | 21% | 21% |
| Capital gains | 20% | 20% |
| Economy & salaries | ||
| Avg net salary | $4,300/mo | $4,300/mo |
| Minimum wage | $1,257/mo✓ | $1,257/mo✓ |
| GDP per capita | $90,027✓ | $90,027✓ |
| Work & digital nomad | ||
| Digital-nomad visa | No | No |
| English proficiency | Native | Native |
| Coworking spaces | 45 | 30 |
| Time zone | UTC-6 | UTC-8 |
| Quality of life | ||
| Quality of life (overall) | 59 | 56 |
| Safety index | 48 | 50 |
| Healthcare index | 78 | 74 |
| Pollution index | 50 | 50 |
| Internet speed | 200 Mbps | 200 Mbps |
| Walkability | 48 | 42 |
| Public transport | 42 | 45 |
| Family-friendly | 62 | 58 |
| Tap water | Safe to drink | Safe to drink |
| Health insurance | $450/mo | $450/mo |
| Life expectancy | 79 yr✓ | 79 yr✓ |
| LGBTQ+ acceptance | High | High |
| Climate | ||
| January avg | +12 °C | +9 °C |
| July avg | +30 °C | +34 °C |
| Sunny days / year | 204 | 294 |
| Rainfall / year | 1,260 mm | 110 mm |
| Connectivity | ||
| Flight to nearest hub | 1 h | 1 h |
Taxes & Economy & salaries: United States vs United States. Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.
✓ = official statistics (US DOL (federal), World Bank 2025, World Bank 2024). Unmarked figures are CostTrek estimates. How we calculate these figures →
Cost of living: Houston vs Las Vegas — in your currency
Converted from USD at approximate rates (2026-09).
Good to know before you move to Houston
America's energy capital — cheap, diverse and spread out, with hot, humid summers.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-6
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 48/100
- Climate
- ❄ 12°C · ☀ 30°C · 204 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Montrose · The Heights · Midtown
Good to know before you move to Las Vegas
No state income tax, cheap housing and 24/7 entertainment in the desert — brutally hot summers.
- Currency
- US dollar ($ USD)
- Languages
- English
- Time zone
- UTC-8
- Internet
- 200 Mbps
- English
- Native language
- Safety
- 50/100
- Climate
- ❄ 9°C · ☀ 34°C · 294 sunny days/yr
- Tap water
- Safe to drink
- Power
- A/B · 120V
- Driving
- Right-hand side
- Popular areas
- Summerlin · Downtown · Henderson
Plan your move to Houston
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
Plan your move to Las Vegas
Everything you will book for the move — sorted, and updated as we add partners.
- FlightsCheapvuelos
- FlightsAviasales
- HotelsPlanetofhotels
- Car rentalEconomybookings
- Airport transferKiwitaxi
- Tours & ticketsKlook
- eSIM / dataAiralo
- Luggage storageRadical Storage
- Parking & carWay.com
Sponsored
? Frequently asked questions
Moving from Houston to Las Vegas: cheaper or more expensive?
Moving from Houston to Las Vegas, your cost of living will be roughly 2% cheaper. Las Vegas’s cost-of-living index is 97 versus 100 for Houston (US = 100). Use the salary tool above to see the income you’d need to keep the same lifestyle.
Is Houston cheaper than Las Vegas?
Las Vegas is about 2% cheaper than Houston overall — its cost-of-living index is 97 versus 100 for Houston.
Which is more expensive, Houston or Las Vegas?
Houston is more expensive than Las Vegas. Its cost-of-living index is 100 vs 97 (US = 100) — about 3% higher.
Is rent cheaper in Houston or Las Vegas?
Rent is cheaper in Houston — about $1,400/month for a one-bedroom in the city centre, vs $1,400 in Las Vegas.
How much do you need to earn in Las Vegas to live like in Houston?
To keep the same standard of living, a $75,000 salary in Houston is worth about $73,166 in Las Vegas. Enter your own figure in the calculator above.
Which has lower taxes, Houston or Las Vegas?
Both cities are in the same country, so national income tax (37%) and VAT are identical; only local cost of living differs.
◷ More comparisons from Houston
How we calculate these figures →
Estimates use approximate cost-of-living indices (US average = 100) and are for general guidance only.