United States
Las Vegas makes sense if
- You want the easier housing and budget equation in this comparison.
- A calmer day-to-day safety profile matters most to you.
Las Vegas vs Los Angeles
Las Vegas and Los Angeles share a car-dependent western-US lifestyle, with Los Angeles leading career and culture and food. Las Vegas is cheaper and close on safety, healthcare and public life.
The grey shape is all 283 cities; each row says whether lower or higher is better. Ratings out of 10 are our reviewed estimates; the rest is published data. How we measure
The choice in one minute
Los Angeles makes sense if
- Access to stronger healthcare matters most to you.
- You want the broader career options in this comparison.
- You want the deeper culture and food scene.
What matters to you
Set how much each area counts. The ranking updates as you go. Climate and values are left out because there is no better or worse there, only your taste.
Money
Nature & outdoors
City life
Safety & health
Work & family
Moving & settling in
- 1Los Angeles65
Leads on nature & outdoors, city life and work & family; stands out for beach & sea and milder summers.
- 2Las Vegas57
Leads on money; stands out for clean, cared-for streets and easier house-hunting.
Scores out of 100, averaged from the areas you weighted. For a ranking built around your own situation, take the quiz.
Side by side
Money
Rent on a new lease, everyday prices and tax.
Section score out of 100
Las Vegas67Los Angeles61
One-bedroom rent
Per month, new lease, citywide
$135/mo$2,444/mo
- $1,189/mo, leads
- $2,079/mo
Rent as share of local pay
One-bedroom rent vs. typical net local pay
21%120%
- ~29%, leads
- ~41%
Everyday prices
Excluding rent · United States = 100
25131
- 100
- 100
Income tax + social contributions
Range: average-wage rate to top marginal rate; the dot marks its midpoint
0%46%
- 24–44%
- 24–44%
Climate
The year month by month. Whether it suits you is yours to judge.
Solid line: average daytime high. Dashed: night-time low. Point at the chart for any month; point at a city name to shade its range.
Bright days
Under 80% cloud and under 1 mm rain
30 days347 days
- 317 days, leads
- 306 days
Muggy days
Days that feel sticky (dew point)
0 days365 days
- 5 days, leads
- 34 days
Air pollution
Annual mean fine particles (PM2.5)
4.6 µg/m³84 µg/m³
- 6.5 µg/m³, leads
- 14.8 µg/m³
Nature & outdoors
How easily you get to water, mountains and green space.
Section score out of 100
Los Angeles73Las Vegas49
Beach & sea
110
- 2/10
- 9/10, leads
Mountains
110
- 7/10
- 9/10, leads
City parks
110
- 5/10
- 7/10, leads
Weekend escapes
110
- 8/10
- 10/10, leads
City life
Getting around on foot, food, culture and the feel of the streets.
Section score out of 100
Los Angeles72Las Vegas64
Walkability
110
- 3/10
- 3/10
Public transport
110
- 3/10
- 5/10, leads
Restaurants
110
- 8/10
- 10/10, leads
Public spaces
110
- 6/10
- 7/10, leads
Safety & health
Crime, how safe people feel, and the care you would get.
Section score out of 100
Los Angeles58Las Vegas55
Homicide rate
Per 100,000 residents per year
0.247
- 5.5
- 5.9
Feels safe day to day
110
- 5/10
- 5/10
Healthcare quality
110
- 7/10
- 10/10, leads
English-speaking care
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work & family
Jobs, working culture, schools and raising kids.
Section score out of 100
Los Angeles66Las Vegas48
Job market
110
- 6/10
- 9/10, leads
Jobs in English
110
- 10/10
- 10/10
Work–life balance
110
- 3/10
- 3/10
Schools
110
- 5/10
- 7/10, leads
Moving & settling in
Visas, language, paperwork and staying connected.
Section score out of 100
Los Angeles61Las Vegas58
Visa & residence difficulty
Typical case; your passport changes this
110
- 9/10
- 9/10
Language barrier
For an English speaker
110
- 1/10
- 1/10
Openness to newcomers
110
- 8/10
- 8/10
Flight connections
110
- 8/10
- 9/10, leads
Society & values
Where each city sits. There is no right end of these scales.
Social attitudes
ConservativeLiberal
- 7/10
- 9/10
LGBTQ+ acceptance
LowHigh
- 8/10
- 8/10
Diversity
HomogeneousDiverse
- 8/10
- 9/10
Religion in public life
ReligiousSecular
- 8/10
- 8/10
Life in each city
Daily life
Las Vegas
A sprawling, low-density valley laid out for cars, where walking anywhere useful is rarely an option. Like Phoenix, the design assumes a vehicle for everything, with mixed-use streetscapes scarce outside the Strip.
Los Angeles
Most errands assume a vehicle, walkable pockets are the exception, and traffic is a genuine daily cost. Individual neighbourhoods can feel pleasant and human-scaled, but they don't knit together on foot.
Safety
Las Vegas
The homicide rate runs higher than calmer Western cities like Austin or Denver, and perceptions of safety after dark are middling. Petty crime is a more persistent nuisance than in many US peers.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles is uneven rather than uniformly dangerous. Night-time confidence varies sharply by area, so neighbourhood choice and ordinary street awareness matter.
Work and healthcare
Las Vegas
A job market tilted heavily toward hospitality, gaming, and tourism, which leaves it narrower than the more diversified economies of Phoenix, Austin, or Denver. Care is reachable and emergency services reliable, and every interaction happens in English, but the depth of the system is thinner than in larger US cities.
Los Angeles
Los Angeles has a heavyweight market with broad industry depth, a strong technology and startup scene, and dense professional networks. The medical talent and hospital quality here are top tier, with leading specialists and research centres.
Culture and public life
Las Vegas
The restaurant range is excellent for the population, nightlife is world-class, and there is no shortage of shows, museums, and music. Las Vegas keeps the Strip maintained, but off it the desert sprawl is uneven, and the city is built for the car.
Los Angeles
The food and culture run deep and genuinely global, with one of the best dining scenes in the country and exceptional range for vegetarians and vegans. It is a car city with a weak core, though the beaches and a few plazas relieve it.
Summary
Choose Los Angeles for the deeper job market, restaurants and arts. Las Vegas is the lower-rent option for remote workers who value entertainment and desert access over career breadth.
Read on
Which of these fits you?
These numbers treat everyone the same. The quiz weighs them by your budget, climate taste, family and work, and ranks all 283 cities for you.