[airics]

Originally Posted by AmberGhost

Many thanks for all the input. I've been stationed all over Europe and all over the USA. Originally from Taxachusetts, lived in Georgia, Alabama, Texas, Illinois and now Ohio.

The word in Las Vegas being low COL I would think comes from many You Tube videos of folks in Vegas who praise LV's COL.

I loved the roads, the mountains looking like razor sharp rocks and what I would guess to be a frontier attitude of those who live outside the city.

20 years running around the woods with a heavy mortar does not prepare one for a lucrative retirement so low COL factors into my desires as much as area preference.

Currently here in Ohio the taxes are murder. Currently paying about $1500 a month property tax.
I work in IT and the job is portable so that would be a plus.
But I don't want to work forever.
Thanks again.

$1500 a month, sure you are. Probably $1500 a half

[SportyandMisty]

I view the cost of living here is being affordable. Not cheap -- but a good quality of life for the dollar spent.

[JonathanLB]

Originally Posted by lvmensch

The cost of living in Las Vegas is not low. It is and has long been within a percent or two of the national average. I have no idea where this comes from. It simple is not true.

LV is cheap compared to S. CA or Chicago or NYC. But so is most anywhere.

It does represent a substantial tax haven for those from CA. or other high tax places.

But it ain't cheap cost of living wise. Just average.

Guess it depends what you consider cheap. To me Vegas is incredibly cheap, that has always been one of the huge appeals. In Portland, a slightly above mediocre house is $600,000 and in the suburbs $500,000. You can’t get an amazing house for $1 million like you can in Vegas. Our taxes are sky high. Anything else makes no difference whether it’s groceries or insurance it’s all pennies compared to housing and taxes. Vegas IS cheap!

[lvmensch]

Originally Posted by JonathanLB

Guess it depends what you consider cheap. To me Vegas is incredibly cheap, that has always been one of the huge appeals. In Portland, a slightly above mediocre house is $600,000 and in the suburbs $500,000. You can’t get an amazing house for $1 million like you can in Vegas. Our taxes are sky high. Anything else makes no difference whether it’s groceries or insurance it’s all pennies compared to housing and taxes. Vegas IS cheap!

Johnathan - There is absolutely no doubt that housing in LV is cheap compared to the coastal cities. But its other costs are virtually the same as a CA city as they should be. LV is virtually completely supplied out of LA. It is simply a distant suburb. Gas, jet fuel, produce, packaged goods, meat...whatever. Virtually all come out of LA. Ever watch the trucks on 15?

So CofL is about the same as CA. But housing cost is a lot less. So if you pay cash for your house the cash flow is the same as it would be in LA.

Taxes are a different story. That is why many of us live in LV. And pity the poor folk in CA.