Mountain West · Updated October 2026
Nevada in numbers, from the same public data Locustep uses to rank all 50 states: rent, pay, taxes, safety, disaster risk and weather, plus the cities worth a look.
Two-bedroom rent
$1,672/mo
U.S. average $1,759
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state)
Rent vs. income
24.7%
of median household income for a year of two-bedroom rent
HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 ÷ 2024 ACS 1-year estimates (Census B19013)
State income tax
None
on wage income
One of 9 states with no wage income tax
State revenue departments, 2026 income tax rates (sources listed per state)
Property tax
0.47%
effective rate on owner-occupied homes
Everyday costs
97.8
index, housing excluded (U.S. = 100)
BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024 (released February 2026), housing and utilities removed
Natural disaster risk
35th
percentile, FEMA expected annual loss (lower is safer)
Where Nevada stands out: no state income tax on wages, the 3rd lightest state and local tax bill and the 7th lowest property taxes among the 50 states.
Overall, a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 3.9% of it in state and local income, property and sales tax here, the 3rd lowest of the 50 states.
Average afternoon highs and overnight lows in Las Vegas (Las Vegas McCarran Airport station), NOAA 1991–2020 normals.
| Season | High | Low |
|---|---|---|
| Winter (Dec–Feb) | 59°F | 41°F |
| Spring (Mar–May) | 79°F | 58°F |
| Summer (Jun–Aug) | 102°F | 80°F |
| Fall (Sep–Nov) | 81°F | 60°F |
$1,686/mo two-bedroom · $1,435 one-bedroom (Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV MSA)
Las Vegas is a 24-hour desert service economy where much of the workforce is tied to casinos, conventions and hospitality. No state income tax, cheap housing by Western standards, extreme summer heat, and water supply as the long-term risk.
$1,837/mo two-bedroom · $1,460 one-bedroom (Reno, NV HUD Metro FMR Area)
Reno is a smaller, more outdoorsy Nevada city half an hour from Lake Tahoe, with a growing logistics and tech-manufacturing base fed by California companies. Four real seasons, no income tax, and housing costs rising with the influx.
$1,686/mo two-bedroom · $1,435 one-bedroom (Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV MSA)
Henderson is the suburban, master-planned side of the Las Vegas valley — safer, quieter, newer housing and better-rated schools than the city proper, with the same heat, the same tax advantages and a much duller nightlife.
$1,453/mo two-bedroom · $1,131 one-bedroom (Carson City, NV MSA)
Carson City is a small state capital near Tahoe with government jobs, a low-key pace and mountain access. Quiet, dry, cheap relative to Reno, and short on the amenities of a larger city.
$1,400/mo two-bedroom · $1,070 one-bedroom (Elko County, NV)
Elko is a northeast Nevada gold-mining town with Basque heritage and the Ruby Mountains nearby. High mining wages and low taxes; very remote, with a boom-and-bust history.
$1,594/mo two-bedroom · $1,219 one-bedroom (Douglas County, NV)
Minden is a small town in the Carson Valley below the Sierra, close to Lake Tahoe and Carson City. Scenic and low-tax, with rising prices as Californians arrive.
Rents: HUD Fair Market Rents FY2027 (40th percentile, population-weighted across the state) (metro areas). City notes: Locustep.
Closest on Locustep’s match factors: cost, housing, taxes, safety, jobs, schools, healthcare, outdoors, disaster risk and climate.
Ranks compare the 50 states. Locustep updates these figures when the agencies publish new data.
No. Nevada is one of nine states that don’t tax wage income. Sales and property taxes still apply: a married couple on the U.S. median household income would pay about 3.9% of income in state and local income, property and sales tax (Locustep estimate, 2026).
A typical two-bedroom rents for about $1,672 a month and a one-bedroom for about $1,397, using HUD’s FY2027 Fair Market Rents averaged across the state by population. That is $87 less than the U.S. average of $1,759. Rent in the bigger metros can be well above the state figure.
Leaving housing aside, everyday prices (goods and services other than housing) index at 97.8 against a U.S. average of 100 (BEA, 2024), and the median home value indexes at 126.3 against the U.S. median (Census, 2024). Two-bedroom rent takes 24.7% of the state’s median household income of $81,134.
Nevada recorded 402 violent crimes per 100,000 residents in 2024 (FBI), the 16th highest rate of the 50 states. Crime varies a lot between and within cities, so check the specific area you’re considering.
The main hazards are wildfires. On FEMA’s National Risk Index, Nevada’s expected yearly loss from natural hazards sits at the 35th percentile nationally (lower is safer). Risk differs sharply by county, so look up the county too.
Places people most often weigh include Las Vegas, Reno, Henderson, Carson City and Elko. Each has a different cost, climate and character; Locustep compares their rent, disaster risk, weather and pay side by side.