Las Vegas vs Rapid City
The short version
- Rapid City is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 11% lower than in the Las Vegas area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $299,400 in Rapid City and $427,900 in Las Vegas.
- Las Vegas has the warmer winter: January highs of 59°F vs 36°F.
- Rapid City gets far more snow: 49 inches a year vs 0.
- Las Vegas has more scorching days: 137 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 32.
- Rapid City is growing faster: +7.8% since 2020 vs +5.3%.
- Commutes are shorter in Rapid City (18 vs 26 minutes each way).
Side by side
| Las Vegas, NV | Rapid City, SD | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 679,817 | 80,589 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.3% | +7.8% |
| People per square mile | 4,792 | 1,440 |
| Median age | 38.6 | 39.1 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 37% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $73,877 | $70,870 |
| Median home value | $427,900 | $299,400 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 4.2× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,563 | $1,109 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.2 | 89.2 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 115.5 | 72.6 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,200 | $66,900 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 63% |
| Top state income tax | None | None |
| Combined sales tax | 8.24% | 6.11% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.7 | 17.5 |
| Work from home | 12% | 10% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 0% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.4% | 2.6% |
| Poverty rate | 14% | 12.5% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 41° | 36° / 13° |
| July high / low | 105° / 82° | 86° / 59° |
| Precipitation per year | 4 in | 17 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 49 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 137 | 32 |
| Nights below freezing | 10 | 174 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 3 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Relatively Low |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.6 | 78.6 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 31% | 62% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +1.8% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.9% | +45.1% |
Highlighted cells are the better value where "better" is clear (lower prices, higher income, shorter commutes). Sources: Census Bureau 2025 estimates and ACS 2020-2024, BEA 2024, NOAA 1991-2020, Tax Foundation 2026.
Weather, month by month
Most comfortable months: Las Vegas: February to April and October to November. Rapid City: June and August to September.
Full monthly tables: Las Vegas weather by month and Rapid City weather by month.
What $75,000 is worth
A $75,000 salary in an average-priced US city buys about the same as $75,200 in Las Vegas and $66,900 in Rapid City. Moving from Las Vegas to Rapid City, you would need about $66,700 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Las Vegas and Rapid City
IRS county-to-county migration, 2022 to 2023 tax years, for the counties that contain each city. See where else people move from Las Vegas and Rapid City.
Which would you pick?
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