Wait ... I drive between Cali and Vegas a few times a month, and LOVE how cheap the gas is here.

Gassed up in La Jolla the other day: 3.99. Saw a 4.79 at the airport.

Your air conditioning bills, tho.

A/C isn't bad for me, but having started a career in Texas correctional facilities when I was 20 made it a whole lot easier to be comfortable with the A/C at 83 and a ceiling fan going. I tend to let it creep to 86 during the day while I am gone...programmable thermostats for the win. Patio doors open at night give me a decent breeze off of the lake. So, including the pool pump, my two-story on the lake tends to run about $150 in the summer. If not for the pool, I would be closer to $100-$110 during July and August...

Gas...filled up the F-Type at $2.50 for premium last night.

10 bucks a night to park at the Wild Wild West when I'm in town

Maybe next week.

The Californication of Vegas. Next up, turds on the sidewalks.

I'm gonna go with don't be silly. Our total tax burden is tiny.

Also, we already have plenty of turds on the sidewalk.

But not literal turds like in certain California municipalities...

LOL @ complaining about gas prices in the US. I was in Reykjavík yesterday, they charge >$7 for a gallon..

Gas prices on Manhattan are very similar to Vegas. (If I go out of the city, prices go down 50c, which is when I tend to fill up.) It is actually very convenient to have a car here, albeit not always cheap.

Traffic is a function of population density which in turn is correlated with amount of restaurants, events, amenities, and activities. When I drive 15 minutes away from the Strip in any direction, the only thing I see is occasional gas stations (with video poker and slots), half empty strip malls (with video poker and slots) and little else.

Compared to Manhattan, mid-range restaurants don't seem to be much/any cheaper in Vegas, neither are grocery stores (we have tons of food delivery options, ethnic markets, Trader Joe's, etc) most services cost about the same, and most goods we buy on Amazon anyway. I live 2 blocks away from Central Park and world famous museums and my local Starbucks is cheaper than Strip Starbucks.

I would love to learn how to do budget Vegas.

There is very little reason in Las Vegas to visit half empty strip malls and gas stations. Well, unless you are out of gas. Half empty strip malls don't increase your cost of living of vacationing or living here.

What you want to do instead is visit the strip malls that have restaurants in them. Unless you don't want to.

On a vacation? If you live in Manhattan, you should do things that you don't tend to do in Manhattan. Not sure what sort of thing that would be. Maybe the national and state parks. Then, at least, you can have an excuse to worry about the gas prices.

I would guess that our housing and cost of parking our cars at home cost at least slightly less than Manhattan. What does $1200/month get you two blocks from Central Park? If you are brave, you can live one block from the strip in a one bedroom for $525/month.

I live on Long Island, and it's definitely in Manhattan. I can't explain it but it just looks weird seeing or hearing someone say it the other way. Of course, if you live in Manhattan, you just refer to Long Island as "the island", and refer to places there as being "out on the island". And for us Manhattan is just "the city". Maybe it's because there are places in Manhattan that are not on Manhattan Island. IDK

A studio apartment with 3 roommates.

That's in my price range, how brave do you have to be?

Can't believe I forgot to mention rent-seeking. Las Vegas is a great place to earn some passive income, especially if you happen to own some homes that you purchased 10 years ago. Just remember to fill up before you come to town to collect those rent checks!

And did you say that you are interested in purchasing the Treasure Island Hotel and Casino? Buddy do I have the city for you.

Thanks for the gas price info. It was enlightening. Gas prices here ARE high here, versus most places in the US. Fuel taxes are sold politically here as a way to target tourists disproportionately with costs to build/maintain roads. (The number of corner gas stations away from the Strip is high here because owning a gas station carries an ability to install up to 15 (?) gambling machines.)

However, where do you park your car safely at night, 2 blocks from home in Manhattan, for a parking fee near Central Park less than the approximate monthly rental cost of an actual apartment in Las Vegas ?

As for what you seem to willfully miss seeing on your 15 minute drive from the Strip are residential neighborhoods of generally affordable, single family houses. Got those single family houses close by Central Park or anywhere on Manhattan ? To many people, owning a home is a pretty big deal, one which is more affordable in and around Las Vegas than in many "big cities".

Your comparison on mid-range restaurant costs is not surprising, but Las Vegas does offer a wide variety of ethnic dining options at very good quality.

No, not everything is cheaper in Las Vegas, but except for life nits, price is not the sole measure for quality of life. I live in Henderson, about 15 minutes from the Strip, which has fairly affordable single family houses, broad streets, plenty of shopping, quite a few restaurants, nice parks pretty near every house, i.e. generally nice amenities and benefits, including boasting fewer New Yorkers per capita than any of the Five Boroughs, a clear quality of life enhancement.

Is it liveable here, certainly. It is different than Manhattan for sure, and cheaper than LA, where I once lived along the beach.

Good lord, this has to be in the running for the worst paragraph I have read on 2+2. What on earth?

This is a suspect claim tbh.

Thanks, I had heard phrasing as "on Manhattan", yet also heard reference to residing there as "living in the City". Really though, outside the Five Boroughs, no one else gives a damn about New Yorkers' narcissism of small differences.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/View_o...rom_9th_Avenue (Ironically, the work is regarded as one of the greatest magazine covers of recent generations and is studied by art students around the world.)


To live in a $525 month apartment near the Strip, you would best take advantage of the loose gun laws here.

Coming back to the less astonishing part of your post. I just checked the most recent ACS data and it reports that the median gross rent in Manhattan Valley (a neighborhood entirely within 4 blocks of Central Park) is $1140.

That buys you a nice house in Las Vegas...

Zillow says otherwise. Maybe the median is brought down by a large number of rent controlled apartments that are very hard to get.

Link? What's the average? How about rent for what's available today?

It isn't even my personal worst paragraph.

I expect more from you. At the very least a humorous analogy or metaphor about how bad the paragraph is. Maybe an offer for ESL coaching.

That's not a fair comparison. I was in Reykjavik for just one day, but my impression is that it's literally the most expensive city I have ever been to. I paid $30 for a cheeseburger & fries, and many of the shops I visited I seriously thought they had the decimal point wrong on all the prices. I'm shocked that gas isn't $7/liter there.

My experience is also exactly one day, Icelandair stopover ftw..

The gas station across the street from my hotel in Berlin charges 1,5€ for a liter, that translates to $6.44/gallon. Still not a steal..

Clearly, just like in southern California, you are paying for the weather

Better known as Rockville to the Army guys I used to know.

So, I've thought about doing it many times to/from Europe..... is the stopover worth it ?