Clark County Cost Of Living Low By Nevada Standards

LAS VEGAS, NV - Clark County was the second largest growing county in America last year, according to the United States Census Bureau. With over 47,000 new residents added last year, the population now exceeds 2.2 million. So how does the cost of living stack up in Southern Nevada's most populated county, compared to Northern Nevada's most populated county of Washoe? Quite well.

According to the Economic Policy Institute, the cost of living for a family of four in Clark County is $4,000 less than it is in Washoe County. To live comfortably in Clark County, a family of four would need to earn $77,068 to cover the cost of housing, food, transportation, child care, healthcare, taxes, and other necessities. For the same in Washoe County, that family would need to bring in $81,134 each year.

Washoe County's population, according to recent census data, is 460,587. Though the disparity in population between Clark County and Washoe County is large, so is the disparity between Washoe and the state's third largest county, the capital of Carson City, which is home to 54,745 people.

The cost of living on a per month basis for a family of four in Clark County is $339 less than it is in Washoe County. On a monthly basis, a family of four would need an income of $6,422 to cover the basic cost of living in Clark County, and $6,761. In Nevada, only Nye County has a cheaper cost of living than Clark County.

The cost of living in Nevada's two most populous counties is similar when it comes to housing, food, transportation, and child care. The savings for Southern Nevadans is seen in healthcare costs and taxes. On average, a family of four in Clark County will pay $190 less for healthcare each month than a family of four in Washoe County. That adds up to a yearly savings of $2,331 each year. On taxes, that family of four pays $66 less each month in Clark County than in Washoe County, equaling nearly $800 per year.

Here's how those basic costs break down by each county, both monthly and annually:

• Cost of housing
  • Clark County: $973 monthly/$11,676 annually
  • Washoe County: $979 monthly/ $11,754 annually
• Cost of food
  • Clark County: $777 monthly/$9,320 annually
  • Washoe County: $789 monthly/$9,471 annually
• Cost of transportation
  • Clark County: $1,110 monthly/$13,321 annually
  • Washoe County: $1,156 monthly/$13,873 annually
• Cost of child care
  • Clark County: $1,342 monthly/$16,106 annually
  • Washoe County: $1348 monthly/$16,175 annually
• Cost of healthcare
  • Clark County: $855 monthly/$10,257 annually
  • Washoe County: $1,045 monthly/$12,588 annually
• Taxes
  • Clark County: $660 monthly/$7,918 annually
  • Washoe County: $726 monthly/$8,710 annually
• Other necessary expenses
  • Clark County: $706 monthly/$8,470 annually
  • Washoe County: $714/$8,563 annually

Image via trekandshoot/Shutterstock