Corrected November 1, 2026: earlier versions used a 4.55% Utah income tax rate and a $100,000 home-price gap. Utah's 2026 rate is 4.45%, and NAR's third-quarter gap is $72,600. Other unsupported claims were removed.
Las Vegas and St. George end up on a lot of shortlists together. They sit about 120 miles apart on I-15, both have red rock within reach, and both draw people from California. They aren't close to the same size, though. Clark County had 2,407,226 residents in July 2025, and Washington County, Utah, had 213,670, according to the Census Bureau's county estimates. The comparison turns on two numbers, income tax and home price, and then on what you want from a place that size.
I run a Nevada brokerage, so read this with that in mind. Utah wins several lines below, and I've left them in.
Las Vegas costs less to buy into than St. George: the National Association of REALTORS' third-quarter 2026 median was $482,200 against $554,800, about 13% lower. Nevada has no income tax, while Utah charges 4.45% for 2026. St. George wins on sales tax, at 6.75% against 8.375%, and on federal price level, at 97.3 versus 100.2 for 2024. Las Vegas has the bigger job market and airport.
- NAR's third-quarter 2026 medians were $482,200 in Las Vegas and $554,800 in St. George.
- Utah's 4.45% rate for 2026 is about $8,900 on $200,000 before credits; Nevada charges nothing.
- St. George's 6.75% sales tax undercuts Clark County's 8.375% by about $325 per $20,000.
- St. George averages 63 days at or above 100 degrees, and 62 freezing nights, against 78 and 10.
- IRS data show 5,085 people moved Nevada to Utah in 2022-23, against 4,490 the other way.
If you're leaning toward the valley, our moving to Las Vegas guide covers the logistics. This guide is about choosing between the two places first.
How Do Las Vegas and St. George Compare at a Glance?
| Measure | Las Vegas | St. George | Period and source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median single-family price, metro | $482,200 | $554,800 | Q3 2026 (preliminary), NAR |
| State income tax | None | 4.45% flat | 2026, EY; Kiplinger |
| Combined sales tax | 8.375% (Clark County) | 6.75% (St. George) | 2026, Nevada Department of Taxation; Avalara |
| Property tax ratio | 0.477% (Clark) | 0.423% (Washington County) | 2020 to 2024, Census |
| Overall price level (U.S. = 100) | 100.2 | 97.3 | 2024, BEA |
| Housing price level | 115.5 | 98.1 | 2024, BEA |
| Two-bedroom Fair Market Rent | $1,686 | $1,657 | FY2027, HUD |
| Median annual wage | $46,670 | $45,140 | May 2025, BLS |
| County population | 2,407,226 | 213,670 | July 2025, Census |
| Regular gasoline | $5.32 | $4.77 | October 31, 2026, AAA |
One thing surprises people in that table. St. George's sale prices run higher, but BEA's price levels run lower, because the housing index measures rents, not sale prices. According to the BEA metro file, St. George scored 97.3 for all items in 2024 and Las Vegas 100.2, so its overall basket cost about 2.9% less. Rents are close too, as the HUD row shows. So St. George is pricier to buy and a bit cheaper to live in day to day.
Is Housing Cheaper in Las Vegas or St. George?
Yes, by about $72,600 at the median. According to the National Association of REALTORS' third-quarter 2026 metro table, the median existing single-family home was $482,200 in Las Vegas-Henderson-Paradise and $554,800 in St. George. Those figures are preliminary, and St. George's was up 1.3% from a year earlier against 0.2% in Las Vegas. NAR's figures are a better match than mixing a Las Vegas board number with a local one, because the same source and quarter apply to both.
A smaller market also moves around more. St. George's quarterly median ranged from $529,300 to $554,800 over the past year in that table, while Las Vegas stayed between $480,700 and $486,300. The Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 survey shows owner-reported median values of $510,700 in Washington County and $431,000 in Clark County, which points the same way.
At Freddie Mac's 7.24% average for October 29, 2026, 20% down on the NAR medians is $96,440 and about $2,629 a month in principal and interest in Las Vegas, against $110,960 and about $3,025 in St. George. That's a $396 monthly gap. Inside the valley, prices vary widely. Our pull of Las Vegas MLS data shows third-quarter 2026 single-family medians of $425,000 in North Las Vegas (677 closings), $485,174 in Las Vegas (3,413), $535,000 in Henderson (1,152) and $678,650 in the Summerlin ZIP codes (574), by mailing city and closing date. Browse live inventory on our Las Vegas homes for sale page.
What Are the Tax Differences, and What Does Utah's Income Tax Cost?
Income tax is the big one, and it favors Nevada. Article 10, Section 1 of the Nevada Constitution bars an income tax on wages or personal income. Utah's rate fell from 4.5% to 4.45% retroactive to January 1, 2026, according to EY's April 2026 tax alert, and it has been cut several years running. Utah wins two other lines, and Nevada wins the cap.
| Tax | Nevada / Las Vegas | Utah / St. George |
|---|---|---|
| State income tax | None | 4.45% flat |
| Tax on Social Security and pensions | None | Taxed, with credits for some filers |
| Combined sales tax | 8.375% (Clark County) | 6.75% (St. George) |
| Primary-home property-tax break | 3% yearly cap on the tax bill, once claimed | Taxable value set at 55% of market value |
| Median property tax paid, 2020 to 2024 | $2,057 on $431,000 (0.477%) | $2,158 on $510,700 (0.423%) |
The Nevada Department of Taxation lists Clark County at 8.375%, and Avalara's 2026 table lists St. George at 6.75%, including Utah's 4.85% state portion. On $20,000 of taxable purchases, that's $1,350 against $1,675. According to Kiplinger's 2026 review, Utah is one of eight states still taxing Social Security, with a credit for some filers and a separate $450 retirement credit. Our deep dive on Nevada's lack of a state income tax has the rest.
The next table applies Utah's 4.45% flat rate for 2026 to income, before any deductions or credits. It's a simplified illustration, and Utah's credits lower the bill for many filers, especially at lower incomes.
| Household income | Las Vegas tax | St. George tax at 4.45% |
|---|---|---|
| $75,000 | $0 | $3,338 |
| $100,000 | $0 | $4,450 |
| $150,000 | $0 | $6,675 |
| $200,000 | $0 | $8,900 |
| $300,000 | $0 | $13,350 |
| $500,000 | $0 | $22,250 |
A household earning $200,000 keeps about $8,900 a year in Nevada on this simple math, or $89,000 over a decade if income stayed flat. A retiree drawing $120,000 keeps about $5,340. Those are the largest recurring differences between the two places.
Measure it against the sales-tax line, which runs the other way. A household with $20,000 a year of taxable purchases pays about $325 more in Las Vegas. So at most incomes, the income-tax line is far larger. At low retirement incomes with Utah's credits, it can be much closer, so run your own return.
Which City Has Better Property Taxes?
They're close, and the structures differ. Using the Census Bureau's median taxes paid for 2020 to 2024, Washington County's ratio of taxes to home value is 0.423%, and Clark County's is 0.477%. Applied to the NAR medians, that's about $2,347 a year in St. George and $2,300 in Las Vegas. So on this rough measure the two bills are nearly the same, even with St. George's higher price.
Utah's break comes off the value. In Utah, a primary residence's taxable value is 55% of market value, a 45% reduction, and it applies to a primary home only, so a second home is taxed on more. Nevada's break limits the bill's growth. Under NRS 361.4723, the tax on a primary residence can rise at most 3% over the prior year once the owner claims it. According to the Clark County Assessor, a recorded ownership document removes the prior 3% abatement, a cap of up to 8% applies to homes that aren't owner occupied, and a new owner must claim the 3% rate. A sale doesn't reset the parcel's base, and new construction has no cap in its first fiscal year. Pull the actual bill for any address you're considering in either state.
How Do Jobs, Air Travel and Healthcare Compare?
Las Vegas is the far larger market, but the local numbers aren't one-sided. According to the BLS payroll series, the Las Vegas metro had 1,190,500 nonfarm jobs in September 2026, up 20,200 from a year earlier. Leisure and hospitality held about 302,800 of them. St. George's labor market had lower unemployment that month, at 3.2% against 4.8% in Las Vegas, not seasonally adjusted, per BLS.
Pay is close at the median. According to the BLS May 2025 wage survey, the median annual wage was $45,140 in St. George and $46,670 in Las Vegas. Mean wages were $55,920 and $60,800. The gap in the mean points to more high-paying jobs in the bigger metro. So the question is how deep a market you need. If you might change employers, a job market more than ten times the size gives you more options. If your income comes with you, from remote work, retirement or your own business, St. George's size matters less. Our Las Vegas job market guide has the sector detail.
Las Vegas has a practical edge if you fly often. Harry Reid International closed 2025 with nearly 55 million passengers. St. George Regional Airport serves far fewer routes, so plenty of residents make the two-hour drive to Las Vegas for flights.
Healthcare follows scale. According to our Las Vegas healthcare guide, the valley has two Level I trauma centers, UMC and Sunrise, plus several hospital systems. Nevada has its own shortage to reckon with: a 2025 University of Nevada, Reno report found the state needs 2,303 more physicians to reach the national average. St. George has a large regional hospital and solid local care, and complex cases may travel to Salt Lake City or Las Vegas. If you see specialists now, call before you move, in either direction.
Daily life tracks size too. Las Vegas has the Raiders, the Golden Knights, the Aces and the Athletics' planned 2028 arrival, with concerts, conventions and dining at a scale St. George can't match. St. George has less traffic: the Census Bureau's 2020 to 2024 mean commute was 19.2 minutes in Washington County and 25.1 in Clark County. Whether a smaller city is a plus or a minus is up to you.
How Does the Climate Compare Between the Two Cities?
Both are hot desert, and St. George is cooler at night and colder in winter. According to NOAA's 1991 to 2020 normals, St. George averages about 15 fewer days at or above 100 degrees than Las Vegas and about 53 more freezing nights. So its winter is the bigger difference. Precipitation runs higher there too, at 9.31 inches a year against 4.18, and snow barely registers in either place.
| Measure | Las Vegas | St. George |
|---|---|---|
| Days at or above 100 degrees | 78.2 | 63.1 |
| Days at or above 90 degrees | 137.1 | 127.9 |
| Nights at or below 32 degrees | 9.8 | 62.5 |
| Annual precipitation, inches | 4.18 | 9.31 |
| Annual snowfall, inches | 0.2 | 1.2 |
| July normal high / low | 104.5 / 82.0 | 101.9 / 71.7 |
| January normal high / low | 58.5 / 40.5 | 54.0 / 28.4 |
The July low is the number most people feel. St. George cools to 71.7, while Las Vegas holds at 82.0. Neither is mild in summer, and both reward you from October through April. Las Vegas answers with Mount Charleston, which rises high enough above the valley for pine forest and winter snow. St. George's own scenery, with red cliffs around town, is a real draw.
What Is the Cost of Living in Las Vegas vs St. George?
This illustration holds income constant, using the public figures in this guide rather than a client file. It assumes a married couple earning $150,000 in either place, buying each NAR median with 20% down at 7.24%.
| Monthly line | St. George | Las Vegas | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Principal and interest | $3,025 | $2,629 | $396 |
| Property tax (0.423% and 0.477% of price) | $196 | $192 | $4 |
| Homeowners insurance (NAIC 2023 state averages) | $92 | $84 | $8 |
| State income tax at 4.45%, before credits | $556 | $0 | $556 |
| Sales tax on $2,000 of monthly taxable spending | $135 | $168 | -$33 |
| Electricity, 1,000 kWh at state year-to-date rates | $132 | $134 | -$2 |
| Gasoline, 500 gallons a year | $199 | $222 | -$23 |
| Total | $4,335 | $3,429 | $906 |
Income tax and the mortgage add up to more than the whole gap, and St. George takes back a little on sales tax and gasoline. The inputs are the EIA's January-to-August 2026 averages of 13.19 cents in Utah and 13.36 in Nevada, AAA's October 31, 2026 prices of $4.77 in St. George and $5.32 in Las Vegas, and the NAIC's 2023 averages of $1,107 and $1,013. Dues and maintenance aren't included.
For renters, the gap nearly closes. According to HUD's fiscal year 2027 schedule, the two-bedroom Fair Market Rent is $1,657 in St. George and $1,686 in Las Vegas, and the three-bedroom is $2,172 against $2,317. On rent, St. George is the cheaper town.
Which City Is Better for Outdoor Recreation and National Parks?
St. George has the edge on national parks. The National Park Service's Zion directions page puts St. George Regional Airport 49 miles from the park and Harry Reid International 170 miles away. Snow Canyon State Park and Sand Hollow are close to town, and the mountain-biking and hiking terrain starts at the edge of it.
Las Vegas isn't cut off from any of this, though it trades proximity for scale. Red Rock Canyon sits 17 miles west of the Strip, Lake Mead is east of the valley, and Mount Charleston has hiking and winter snow. A Zion weekend from Las Vegas is a long drive but easy to do. So St. George works as a daily base for the parks, and Las Vegas works as a metro with the parks in weekend range. If daily trail access is the reason for the move, spend time in both places, because 170 miles to Zion matters less for a twice-a-year visit than for a weekly one. Our outdoor recreation guide maps the Las Vegas side.
How Many People Move Between the Two, and Which Is Growing Faster?
More people left Nevada for Utah than the reverse in the latest federal data. According to the IRS Statistics of Income migration data for 2022-2023, the state inflow file shows 2,473 returns covering 4,490 people moving from Utah to Nevada, and the state outflow file shows 2,790 returns covering 5,085 people moving from Nevada to Utah. Nevada's net loss to Utah was 595 people. On the corridor itself, the county inflow file shows 635 people moving from Washington County to Clark County, and 781 going the other way. Returns moving into Clark County averaged about $92,000 of adjusted gross income, and returns moving out to Washington County averaged about $62,600. Together those two flows come to about 1,400 people a year, so this isn't a mass migration. These counts cover tax filers only and lag several years.
St. George is growing faster in percentage terms, and Las Vegas in raw numbers. According to the Census Bureau's Vintage 2025 estimates, Washington County added 5,239 residents from July 2024 to July 2025, or 2.5%, and Clark County added 21,480, or 0.9%. A fast-growing county with a small housing market can see price pressure, but neither agency measures that link, and growth doesn't promise appreciation in either market.
What Should Decide Between Las Vegas and St. George?
Set scenery aside and the numbers sort like this:
| Measure | Leads | By how much |
|---|---|---|
| Median sale price | Las Vegas | $72,600 lower |
| State income tax | Las Vegas | 0% against 4.45% |
| Sales tax | St. George | 1.625 points lower |
| Overall price level | St. George | 97.3 against 100.2 |
| Rent benchmark, two bedrooms | St. George | $29 a month lower |
| Job market size | Las Vegas | County population about 11 times larger |
| Days at or above 100 degrees | St. George | 15.1 fewer |
| Freezing nights | Las Vegas | 52.7 fewer |
| Mean commute | St. George | 5.9 minutes shorter |
The worksheet is simple: start with your income, apply 4.45% for the St. George column and nothing for the Las Vegas column, then price the actual home you'd buy in each place. Income tax and purchase price usually account for most of the financial difference. Everything after that is about how you want to live, and only you can weigh that.
If it's the valley, look at Henderson and North Las Vegas in our community directory, read our new-construction guide and our first-time buyer resources, and read Nevada's property-tax structure. Call me at (702) 637-1759 and we'll run the sheet together, including the lines St. George wins.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Las Vegas or St. George cheaper to live in?
It depends which line you mean. Las Vegas is cheaper to buy in, at a $482,200 NAR median for the third quarter of 2026 against $554,800, and Nevada has no income tax. St. George is slightly cheaper day to day: BEA's 2024 price level is 97.3 against 100.2, its sales tax is 6.75% against 8.375%, and its two-bedroom rent benchmark is $1,657 against $1,686.
Does Nevada or Utah have lower taxes?
For most households, Nevada, because it has no income tax and Utah charges 4.45% for 2026. Utah has the lower sales tax in St. George and a lower property-tax ratio, at 0.423% against 0.477%. At most incomes, the income-tax gap is larger than both.
Why are St. George home prices higher than Las Vegas?
NAR doesn't explain the gap, but the data offer clues. Washington County grew 2.5% from July 2024 to July 2025, against 0.9% in Clark County, and its housing market is far smaller. Prices vary widely inside both areas.
Does Utah tax retirement income?
Yes. Utah taxes Social Security and pensions at its 4.45% flat rate, and according to Kiplinger offers a Social Security credit to some filers and a separate $450 retirement credit. Nevada taxes neither. A retiree drawing $120,000 would owe up to about $5,340 in Utah before credits.
How far is St. George from Las Vegas?
About 120 miles on I-15, roughly a two-hour drive. That's why many St. George residents use Harry Reid International for flights. The Park Service puts Zion 170 miles from Harry Reid and 49 miles from St. George Regional Airport.
How much colder is St. George than Las Vegas in winter?
Noticeably. NOAA's normals show 62.5 nights a year at or below freezing in St. George, against 9.8 in Las Vegas, and a January low of 28.4 against 40.5. Snow is light in both, at 1.2 and 0.2 inches a year.
Which Sources Inform This Las Vegas vs St. George Comparison?
Figures were checked against these sources on November 1, 2026. Market medians carry the period they describe, and tax figures carry the year.
- National Association of REALTORS, metro median prices, Q3 2026
- EY tax alert on Utah's 4.45% rate and Kiplinger's 2026 review of Social Security taxes
- Nevada Department of Taxation, sales and use tax and Avalara's St. George rate table
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2020 to 2024 and Vintage 2025 county estimates
- Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities by metro, 2024
- Bureau of Labor Statistics, May 2025 wages: St. George and Las Vegas
- HUD FY2027 Fair Market Rents and Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey
- NRS Chapter 361, the Clark County Assessor abatement page and Wasatch County's primary residence page
- EIA Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.B, AAA gas prices and the NAIC homeowners report, 2023 data
- IRS Statistics of Income migration data, 2022-2023
- NOAA 1991-2020 climate normals, the National Park Service's Zion directions and the BLM's Red Rock Canyon page
- Harry Reid International Airport 2025 passenger release
Information deemed reliable but not guaranteed. This article is educational and is not financial, tax, or legal advice. Tax rules and market conditions change and vary by situation, so confirm current details with a qualified professional before relocating. Nevada Real Estate Group · (702) 637-1759 · NV License S.181401.
