Folks from California have been telling their stories on why they decided to move to the more affordable Las Vegas.

Charles Lee was one of the many Americans who got the privilege to work remotely anywhere in the country during the pandemic. He and his wife seized this opportunity and relocated from San Diego to Las Vegas. Since 2020, almost 158,000 individuals have relocated from California to Nevada, constituting 43% of all new residents in the Silver State over the past four years, as per data provided by the Affordable Relocation to Las Vegas  Nevada DMV.

“As soon as we started working from home during the pandemic, we realized it would likely be a long-term change,” Charles, an insurance industry professional, recalled. San Diego’s escalating real estate prices led them to seek a more affordable ‘boom town’ to settle in. A range of options, including Phoenix, Nashville, and Charlotte, was considered, but Las Vegas, particularly Spring Valley, won for its favorable climate, lower taxes, and proximity to family.

The main attraction, however, was the value for money in the real estate market. “The main thing for us was to find a lovely house, in Vegas that won’t cost us over a million dollars like in San Diego,” said Charles.

 An increasing number of Californians are making Nevada their new home, a trend dating back to the state’s inception in the 1800s. Californian transplants consistently make up nearly 30% of all newcomers to Nevada. The median price for a single-family home in Las Vegas is $475,000 compared to over $1,035,332  in San Diego, making Vegas a much more wallet-friendly option for homebuyers. Las Vegas and Henderson construction is typically 1995+ so it is also a lot newer than CA buildings.

The migration boom to Las Vegas, which grew significantly during the pandemic, slightly dipped in 2023. However, Californians, especially from Los Angeles, are still a significant portion of new residents. The cites affordability, job opportunities, less traffic, and Nevada’s no personal income tax policy as primary reasons for Californians relocating to Vegas.
relocation to vegas

For Adam Goldstein, who moved from L.A. to Las Vegas in November 2022, financial stability was the main reason for relocating. He bought a house in Las Vegas last September and confessed that he fell in love with the city when he settled in. “The minute I moved to Vegas, I started saving approximately $9,000 annually in state tax compared to California,” Goldstein noted.

Nevada’s better cost of living, coupled with its thriving food scene, has made living here an enjoyable experience, with past Californians like Lee and Goldstein expressing no regrets about their decision to move.