California and Nevada at a glance
Moving between California and Nevada changes more than the scenery. On a $60,000 salary, California leaves $13,216 a year after taxes, rent, food, energy and gasoline; Nevada leaves $25,992.
Nevada comes out ahead by $12,777 a year ($1,065 a month). The calculation starts from the same gross pay in both states, subtracts federal tax, Social Security and Medicare, then each state's own income tax, and then the population-weighted cost of a one-bedroom rental, groceries, home energy and gasoline across 39,287,377 people in 58 counties in California and 3,184,612 people in 17 counties in Nevada.
Taxes: what each paycheck loses
Federal income tax ($5,072) and FICA ($4,590) on $60,000 are the same on both sides of the border. Nevada does not tax wages, while California takes $1,696 of a $60,000 salary in state income tax, so take-home pay is $1,696 higher in Nevada.
At $100,000
At $100,000 take-home pay is $73,723 in California and $78,901 in Nevada, a difference of $5,178. The gap widens with income because graduated state brackets take a growing share.
Living costs
One-bedroom rent averages $2,151 a month in California and $1,397 in Nevada, so Nevada is $754 a month cheaper for housing. Food costs $3,436 a year in both, because the USDA Thrifty Food Plan is a national figure; home energy $4,129 and $2,314, and gasoline $2,047 and $1,832. Together the basics cost $35,427 a year in California and $24,346 in Nevada.
What the Census adds
Median household income is $99,122 in California and $78,260 in Nevada. Homeowners pay a median of $5,124 a year in property tax in California and $2,027 in Nevada. Commuters travel 28.7 minutes each way on average in California and 24.8 in Nevada.
Method
Taxes use the 2025 rules for a single filer with wage income only and the standard deduction. Housing and living costs are county figures from HUD (one-bedroom Fair Market Rent), the USDA Thrifty Food Plan and state energy prices from the Energy Information Administration, averaged across each state's counties and weighted by population, so large counties count more. Local income taxes are not included. Counties differ widely inside every state, so use the county pages for a specific place.