The cost of living in Las Vegas
When considering relocating to any city in the world, it is important to check out the cost of living first; it’s no good following your heart and listening to your dreams if you are going to end up in a city that costs the earth – you have to make ends meet.
Las Vegas is surprisingly quite cheap in terms of living costs, being cheaper than New York. Of course, this is still a city so there are costs to be met, but if you can find a job which pays relatively well, then you should be able to live at a decent standard, albeit with long working hours that come as standard in this huge entertainment city.
Healthcare is something you should pay first consideration too, because there is an insurance system in place in the USA. Check whether the place you are heading to for work provides healthcare insurance contributions, or whether you need to go down other routes, such as EHIC Renew or taking out your own private health insurance policy.
Obviously, the cost of living in general depends on how you live, you can make life as cheap or expensive as you like in many ways, however costs such as rent and gas for your car are as standard. According to Expatistan, these are the most up to date living costs for Las Vegas in 2016:
- Rent – furnished accommodation in an expensive area – around $1400 per month
- Rent – furnished accommodation in a normally priced area – around $1000 per month
- Utility bills for a household of two people - $165 per month
- Household internet (Wi-Fi) for one month - $45
- Transportation – Public transport monthly ticket - $59
- Transportation – 1 litre of gas – around $0.73
- Transportation – Taxi for around 5 miles - $21
- Sundries – One packet of cigarettes - $7
- Food – 1 litre of milk - $0.87
- Food – Chicken breasts - $3.37
- Food – Fast food restaurant combo meal - $8
As you can see, you can make life in Las Vegas as cheap or expensive as you like in many ways, and it is rent which is the biggest cost. You can cut this further by sharing with someone else and splitting the rent or by shopping around for the best deals. Renting for longer periods of time will always be cheaper than renting for just a couple of months, however do check out the area you are planning to rent in, as well as taking someone else with you when you visit the landlord, just to get a second opinion.
The bottom line is that when living in Las Vegas you have to make sure you live as a resident and not a tourist, because if you go to the big tourist places all the time, eating in expensive restaurants and drinking in bars every night, you’re soon going to find your saving deplete very quickly indeed.