More than ever, the Las Vegas area is a prime destination for those moving out of their own home states and looking for a better life. That definitely includes people who are relocating out of the Golden State and searching for a new home. Incredibly, almost 60% of all California transplants now end up in Nevada these days! (Texas, Idaho, and Utah are also high on the list).
Take a quick trip to Las Vegas through the eye of a potential future resident (i.e., not partying on the Strip!), and it’s easy to see why. From Henderson to Summerville, Green Valley to North Las Vegas, Nevada’s biggest city has myriad benefits and attractions for new residents. These Las Vegas Valley communities commonly show up on national lists of the best places to live, the best places to retire, and the best places for families to relocate.
And once you live in Nevada, you’ll be pleasantly surprised by many aspects of daily life, home ownership, or running your own business here. Among new Las Vegas residents who came from other states (and especially California!), here are the top-seven things they say they love!
- Taxes (or lack there-of) in Las Vegas and Nevada.
Taxes, what taxes?!
A huge benefit for people who move to Las Vegas is the fact that Nevada residents pay no income tax – one of only 12 states that offer such tax amnesty. Take that, California!
Additionally, Nevada collects no corporate tax, franchise tax, or inventory tax. And the Las Vegas sales tax rate is 0%!
If you’re buying a home in Las Vegas (and why not at these prices?!), it’s good to know that Nevada’s property taxes are also some of the lowest in the nation, with an average effective tax rate of just 0.69% – below the national average of 1.08%. In Las Vegas (Clark County), the average homeowner pays $1,763 in property taxes annually, compared to $1,720 in Nevada or an average of $2,700 across the United States.
2. We♥️ Las Vegas home prices!
The California real estate market is seriously out of control, with a scary inventory shortage where sellers have scores of offers that blow past the appraised value. That’s great for California sellers, right? Not really, as they still have to buy a home with those same high prices – unless they move to Las Vegas!
Oh, and how sweet the real estate market is once you move here.
For instance, if you’re selling a home in California and moving to Las Vegas and have $400,000 to spend, you can easily expect to buy a 4 bedroom/3 bathroom, 2,600+ square foot home in a great neighborhood, possibly with a swimming pool!
That means you probably can sell your property in California and buy a much bigger, nicer ones in Las Vegas for cash – avoiding a mortgage payment for the rest of your life!
3. Non-stop events, concerts, and pro sports!
if you’re planning to make the move from Cali’ to ‘Vegas, maybe you have a twinge of nostalgia that you’ll miss the vibrant Cali’ scene with so many events, concerts, fairs, festivals, and, of course, pro sports.
After all, it’s Las Vegas all about casinos and tourism, but short on those other things, right? Wrong!
In fact, we often forget that Las Vegas is the entertainment capital of the world and is home to just about every big concert tour, conferences, events, and happenings.
And from a sports perspective, the NFL’s Raiders just sprinted from California to Las Vegas recently. So, if you’re a Raiders fan, you’ll find familiar pigskin on Sundays when you move to Las Vegas. And the first pro sports franchise in Las Vegas was actually the Vegas Golden Knights of the National Hockey League, who play in the Pacific Division of the Western Conference.
4. You’ll feel a real sense of community.
A funny thing happens when you move to Las Vegas, no matter where you’re coming from:
you’ll start to feel a real sense of community. With so many other people just like you, there are great neighborhoods in Las Vegas filled with friendly, community-conscious people and Mom n’ Pop stores.
In my opinion, some of the best neighborhoods and communities in the Las Vegas area include Summerlin and Henderson, and one of the top reasons for that is the sense of community.
In fact, Summerlin ranks #1 in Nevada for Best Master Planned Communities, Best Neighborhoods in Las Vegas for Lifestyle, #1 for Best Communities in Nevada, #4 in the USA, and has been a top-10 Master Planned Community worldwide since 1995! And Henderson ranks #1 for Safest City to Raise a Family by GoodCall, and #2 by Forbes.
Welcome to the neighborhood!
5. Nature lovers are in heaven in Nevada!
If you’ve only been to Las Vegas as a tourist so far, you’ll be amazed at how much nature outdoor activities Las Vegas has to offer. According to the official Las Vegas Department of Parks & Rec, there are at least 100 public parks and recreation areas in the area, including water parks, dog parks, senior centers and facilities, cultural centers, and, of course, plenty of golf courses!
No matter what your sport, exercise, or passion, Las Vegas seemingly has a great match; want to go hiking in the mountains? Check. Boating? Check. Bird watching? Check. Are you an avid cyclist? Check. Into fun road races? Check. Teeing off or playing 18? Fore!
You’ll never run out of fun and fit outdoor options in Las Vegas!
6. Sing it with me, “I’ve got sunshine…on a cloudy day…”
If you’re a sun worshipper, you’ll be ecstatic with your new life in Las Vegas, as Las Vegas enjoys an average of 310 days of sunshine each year, or about 85% of the year! (For reference, the U.S. average is only about 205 days of sun each year.)
Of course, it’s nice and warm year-round, too. (Ok, it’s darn hot during the summer!) But the weather drops enough in the winter that you’ll still enjoy the seasons.
Rainfall is minimal in Las Vegas, with an annual average of only 4.2″. and throughout the entire year, it usually only rains 26 days in the Las Vegas Valley. The weather is great!
7. Life is easy with such a low cost of living in Las Vegas.
Sure, you’re looking forward to sunshine, outdoor activities, and plenty of entertainment when you move to Las Vegas, but most people are also interested in the cost of living in their new adopted home, too.
Thankfully, the price tag on living in Nevada is incredibly reasonable, one of the things that new residents adore.
To put the costs in perspective, let’s compare to two places that may be more familiar: Sacramento, CA and San Francisco, CA. Consumer prices in Las Vegas are approximately 12.32% lower than the prices in Sacramento, CA. Rent prices are 19.3% lower than Sacramento, nearly one-fifth!
Add it all up, and the cost of living in Las Vegas is approximately 6.08% lower than in Sacramento, including purchasing power.
And if you’re moving away from Los Angeles, San Francisco, or other high-cost areas in California, you may even chuckle at how affordable the good life in Las Vegas is!
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If you’re seriously excited about moving to Las Vegas now, I don’t blame you – and I’m ready to help. Contact me for your free Moving to Las Vegas Guide and information about selling your home in California and buying in Nevada!