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CityLedger

Denver vs Las Vegas

Metro-area medians — Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO Metro Area vs Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV Metro Area — not the cities proper.

Denver comes out ahead, winning 5 of the 9 clearly-decided measures.

Las Vegas is about 6% cheaper to live in, while Denver households earn about 35% more. Adjusted for local prices, a typical paycheck stretches further in Denver.

For your salary & household

Enter your pay and household size to see what it's really worth here — the numbers update live and the link stays shareable.

Denver, CO
$58,707
take-home / yr · 22% to tax
$55,498
real value after local prices
Las Vegas, NV
$61,314
take-home / yr · 18% to tax
$61,182
real value after local prices

On $75,000 for just you, Las Vegas leaves you about $5,684/yr better off after tax and local prices.

Take-home estimates a single filer taking the standard deduction (2025 federal brackets, FICA, and state income tax) and isn't tax advice. “Real value” rebases take-home to average U.S. prices using the BEA cost-of-living index; the per-person figure uses the OECD square-root equivalence scale.

Measure
Denver
Las Vegas
Livability (CityLedger)
83/100
40/100
Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
105.8
100.2
Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
$102,140
$79,856
Median household income
$108,046
$80,028
Median rent
$1,943/mo
$1,739/mo
Median home value
$631,000
$451,000
Unemployment
4.2%
6.5%
Bachelor's degree or higher
51.6%
28.2%
Average commute
27.7 min
25.9 min
Air quality (median AQI)
64
64
Avg temperature
50°F
69°F

Choose Denver for

  • + Livability (CityLedger)
  • + Cost-adjusted income (pay's real value)
  • + Median household income
  • + Unemployment
  • + Bachelor's degree or higher
Full Denver profile →

Choose Las Vegas for

  • + Cost of living (price level, US = 100)
  • + Median rent
  • + Median home value
  • + Average commute
Full Las Vegas profile →

Denver vs Las Vegas — frequently asked

Is Denver cheaper than Las Vegas?
Las Vegas is cheaper: its overall cost of living runs about 6% below Denver's (BEA Regional Price Parities).
Which has higher household income, Denver or Las Vegas?
Denver has the higher median household income — $108,046 versus $80,028 (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS), about 35% more.
Does a paycheck go further in Denver or Las Vegas?
A paycheck stretches further in Denver. Adjusted for local prices, the median income is worth $102,140 there versus $79,856 in Las Vegas.
Which has cheaper rent, Denver or Las Vegas?
Las Vegas has cheaper rent — a median of $1,739/mo versus $1,943/mo (U.S. Census Bureau, ACS).