2026-09-11 · 4 min read · Las Vegas
Moving to Las Vegas? Start Here.
The short version
Thousands of people move to the Las Vegas valley every year, and most of them arrive knowing three things: no state income tax, a lot of sunshine, and it is cheaper than California.
All three are true. None of them tell you where to live, what it will actually cost you every month, or what you are going to wish somebody had mentioned in advance.
I have sold homes across this valley for 20 years, in Henderson, Summerlin, Southern Highlands, Anthem, Boulder City and North Las Vegas. Not one neighborhood. That matters when you are relocating, because most agents work one area and every recommendation they give you leans that way.
Here is what actually matters, and where to read more on each.
The tax situation, which is the real reason most people come
Nevada has no state income tax. If you are moving from a high-tax state, that is thousands of dollars a year staying in your paycheck.
Property taxes are low too, and they work differently than most people expect. Your bill is not based on what you paid for the house, and there is a cap that protects you from big jumps. There is also one small step after closing that people miss, which quietly costs them money on every bill afterward.
What it actually costs
The valley is more affordable than the coastal markets people usually come from. It is also not as cheap as it was ten years ago, and two costs catch almost everybody: HOA dues, which most of the newer communities here have, and what your power bill does in July and August.
Neither of those shows up in the cost-of-living calculators people use before they move.
Where to live
This is the question I get most, and it usually arrives as “Summerlin or Henderson.”
Both are excellent and they suit different people. Summerlin sits on the west edge near Red Rock. Henderson is southeast, closer to the airport, and it is more varied because it is not one thing.
But framing it as those two rules out places that might fit you better. Southern Highlands, Anthem, and Boulder City are all real answers depending on what you need.
The thing that should decide it is not the amenities. It is your commute.
The climate, briefly
More than 300 days of sun a year. Summers get above 100 and the dry air genuinely does make it feel different than humid heat, though August is August. Winters are mild enough to be outside year-round.
The part people underestimate is how much is within a couple of hours: Red Rock, Lake Mead, Mount Charleston with actual snow in winter, Valley of Fire, Zion, Death Valley.
What people get wrong
Four things I see repeatedly with people relocating here.
They budget the mortgage and forget the rest. HOA, summer power, and car insurance, which runs higher here than the national average. Those three turn a comfortable number into a tight one.
They pick a neighborhood on a Sunday afternoon. Every neighborhood in this valley looks good on a Sunday afternoon. Drive your actual commute at 5pm on a Tuesday before you decide anything.
They assume the whole valley is master-planned. A lot of it is, and those communities come with dues and rules about what you can do with your own house. Some people love that. Some people find out after they move that they do not. Boulder City is about as far from it as you can get and still be near the valley.
They think they need 20% down. They usually do not, and that belief keeps people renting for years longer than they needed to.
Read: What Should My Down Payment Be? FHA vs Conventional in Las Vegas
If you have never bought before
Relocating and buying your first home at the same time is a lot, and the process itself is not complicated once somebody lays it out in order.
Read: Buying Your First Home in Las Vegas: What Actually Happens, Step by Step
How I would start if I were you
Figure out where you will be working, or confirm that you will be remote. That single fact narrows the valley faster than anything else.
Then get your real monthly number, not the mortgage payment. Then look at neighborhoods, and drive them on a weekday.
Do not start with houses. Houses are the last step and they are the most fun, which is exactly why people do them first and waste months.
If you are actually moving
Tell me two things. Roughly when you are moving, and where you will be working.
Call 702-881-6562 or email JArendt658@gmail.com. I will tell you which parts of the valley make sense for you, what your real monthly cost looks like there, and what to go drive when you visit.
I am not going to push you toward one neighborhood, because I work all of them. If the answer is that you should rent for six months first and learn the valley before you buy, I will tell you that.
John Arendt, Realtor, has sold homes across the Las Vegas valley for 20 years, in Henderson, Summerlin, Southern Highlands, Anthem, Boulder City and North Las Vegas.