Las Vegas vs South Gate
The short version
- Las Vegas is cheaper overall: prices in its metro run 12% lower than in the South Gate area (BEA 2024).
- The median home costs $427,900 in Las Vegas and $636,300 in South Gate.
- South Gate has the warmer winter: January highs of 67°F vs 59°F.
- Las Vegas has more scorching days: 137 a year at 90°F or hotter vs 6.
- Las Vegas is growing faster: +5.3% since 2020 vs -2.9%.
- Commutes are shorter in Las Vegas (26 vs 33 minutes each way).
- Nevada has no state income tax on wages; California's top rate is 13.3%.
Side by side
| Las Vegas, NV | South Gate, CA | |
|---|---|---|
| People | ||
| Population (2025) | 679,817 | 90,071 |
| Growth since 2020 | +5.3% | -2.9% |
| People per square mile | 4,792 | 12,446 |
| Median age | 38.6 | 36.3 |
| Bachelor's degree or higher | 28% | 11% |
| Money and housing | ||
| Median household income | $73,877 | $74,571 |
| Median home value | $427,900 | $636,300 |
| Home value to income | 5.8× | 8.5× |
| Median rent (with utilities) | $1,563 | $1,531 |
| Metro price level (US = 100) | 100.2 | 113.6 |
| Housing price level (US = 100) | 115.5 | 170.4 |
| $75,000 elsewhere equals | $75,200 | $85,200 |
| Homeowners | 57% | 45% |
| Top state income tax | None | 13.3% |
| Combined sales tax | 8.24% | 9.03% |
| Work and commute | ||
| Average commute (minutes) | 25.7 | 32.5 |
| Work from home | 12% | 7% |
| Take public transit | 3% | 4% |
| Unemployment (2020-24 avg) | 7.4% | 7.4% |
| Poverty rate | 14% | 12.7% |
| Weather | ||
| January high / low | 59° / 41° | 67° / 47° |
| July high / low | 105° / 82° | 77° / 62° |
| Precipitation per year | 4 in | 14 in |
| Snowfall per year | 0 in | 0 in |
| Days 90°F or hotter | 137 | 6 |
| Nights below freezing | 10 | 0 |
| Comfortable months | 5 | 12 |
| Risks, air and home prices | ||
| Natural hazard risk (FEMA, county) | Very High | Very High |
| FEMA risk score (lower is safer) | 99.6 | 100.0 |
| Good air days, 2025 | 31% | 11% |
| Home prices, past year | +2.8% | +1.2% |
| Home prices, past 5 years | +41.9% | +31.9% |
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. South Gate: January to December.
Full monthly tables: Las Vegas weather by month and South Gate 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 $85,200 in South Gate. Moving from Las Vegas to South Gate, you would need about $85,000 to match a $75,000 salary.
Moving between Las Vegas and South Gate
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 South Gate.
Which would you pick?
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