Cost of Living in Reno, NV, United States

Updated On February 22, 2026
Reno is the other, lesser known Gambling Oasis in Nevada
Cost of Living Index:
72.4
* Based on Research & User Data

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Cost of Living in United States

How Much Does It Cost to Live in Reno, NV?

Reno, often called the “Biggest Little City in the World” is located in the beautiful north-west region of Nevada.

It is the second largest tourist destination in Nevada offering activities like gaming, family entertainment, outdoor activities, festivals, and museums.

Another good aspect of living in Reno is that it’s a two-hour drive from Sacramento and four hours from the Bay area.

Events happen year around.

It is beautiful whether you decide to have a beach day or hit the slopes.

The cost of living is relatively cheap compared to a lot of other cities.

Cost of Living Breakdown in Reno, NV

Restaurants

RESTAURANTS

One thing Reno is known for is food! It offers all sorts of food, for all palates, tastes, and wallets!

All of the Nevada-Style Taverns are open 24/7, so you can always get food, and it’s not bad food, it’s just more “American” style or comfort food and the prices are reasonable.

Average Restaurant Prices
Meal (Inexpensive Restaurant) $18.00
Domestic Beer (0.5 Liter) $5.00
Water (0.33 Liter) $1.66
Markets

MARKETS

Groceries are reasonably priced in Reno.

You’ll always find supermarkets where the cost of groceries is higher, but while some groceries will cost more than usual, you’ll definitely find some supermarkets and groceries that cost more or less the same as everywhere.

Average Market Prices
Milk (1 Liter) $0.99
Loaf Bread (500g) $4.83
Eggs (12) $5.87
Transportation

TRANSPORTATION

Reno’s public transit system is called RTC RIDE and the tickets for it may be paid on the bus by cash (exact change) or by pass.

One trip fare is 2$, but asking for a transfer allows travel on any bus in any direction for 1 1/2 hrs from the time of purchase, which makes public transport costs reasonable.

Average Transport Prices
One Way Ticket $2.00
Monthly Pass $65.00
Gasoline $1.17
Utilities

UTILITIES (MONTHLY)

Taking into consideration basic monthly utilities like electricity, water, heating, and cooling, it all amounts to around 176$ a month, which is affordable for a normal-sized apartment of about 85m2.

The internet access is good but very expensive costing close to 72$ per month.

Average Utilities Prices
Basic (Water, Electricity, Garbage, Heating, Cooling) $176.87
1 min. of Prepaid Mobile Tariff Local $0.09
Internet (Unlimited Data, Cable/ADSL) $72.97
Sports and leisure

SPORTS & LEISURE

Reno has more ski resorts within a hundred miles than anywhere else in the world, it has a kayaking course, walking trails, parks, and all sorts of outdoor activities.

Also, Lake Tahoe is only 35 miles away.

Tahoe and the Truckee area are world famous for their winter sports, so there are many outdoor options.

If you’re more of an indoor person, a gym or fitness club membership is around 33$.

Average Leisure Prices
Fitness Club, Monthly Fee for 1 Adult $33.00
Tennis Court Rent (1 Hour) $15.00
Cinema, 1 Seat, International Release $12.00
Clothing and shoes

CLOTHING & SHOES

There are two main shopping and dining hubs in the district: The “Riverwalk” area and the “CalAve” area.

Reno, in general, is not a great place for high-end clothing or shopping choices but you’ll always find something for every taste.

Here, you can buy quality jeans for around 37$, and running sneakers for only 80$.

Average Clothing Prices
1 Pair of Jeans (Levis 501 Or Comparable) $37.50
1 Summer Dress in a Chain Store (Zara, etc...) $31.67
1 Pair of Adidas Walking Shoes (Mid-Range) $80.00
Rent per month

RENT PER MONTH

Rents have gone through the roof in the past couple of years.

It’s pretty hard to find a room in a decent apartment or house for under 1300$ a month.

Rent for a two-bedroom apartment can average 1700$ a month.

A bigger apartment will cost you somewhere near 2600$.

Average Rent Prices
Apartment (1 bedroom) in City Center $1603.55
Apartment (1 bedroom) Outside of Center $1371.67
Apartment (3 bedrooms) in City Center $2625.00

How Does the Average Person Spend Their Money in Reno, NV?

As in most countries of the world, the biggest expense for the people of Reno is rent, since it’s relatively high though not as high as it can get in America.

The second biggest expense is food and groceries – around 30% of one’s income gets spent on food.

Transportation expenses and going to restaurants are almost equally as important for the people of Reno since they spend about 13% of their salaries on restaurants and almost 10% on transportation.

Utilities have a very low percentage on this pie chart of expenses, which means that Reno has low prices for electricity!

Average Costs Breakdown

13%
30.3%
8.8%
7.4%
3.4%
1.5%
35.5%

Reno, NV: Average Salary, Minimum Wage & Mortgages

The economy is also doing very well in Reno with the Industrial Parkway bringing lots of companies and jobs.

Reno has a high cost of living but low-paying jobs and it has always been this way.

Their average monthly net salary is nearly 3100$ which is a good salary and takes care of the basics but could still mean a bit of struggle for someone who’s renting.

The minimum wage in Reno is around 1250$, which is still not staggeringly low and allows for citizens to afford all necessities.

Average Salary$3102.67
Minimum Wage$1256.67
Mortgage Interest Rate6.76%

Reno Safety Overview

READ THE FULL REPORT: Reno Safety Review

Reno
Safety Index:
70
OVERALL RISKLOW
TRANSPORT & TAXIS RISKLOW
PICKPOCKETS RISKLOW
NATURAL DISASTERS RISKLOW
MUGGING RISKMEDIUM
TERRORISM RISKLOW
SCAMS RISKLOW
WOMEN TRAVELERS RISKMEDIUM
TAP WATER RISKLOW

Cost of Living by City in United States

City Cost of Living Index
United States FlagAlbany, NY 72.4
United States FlagAlbuquerque, NM 72.4
United States FlagAnchorage, AK 72.4
United States FlagAnn Arbor, MI 72.4
United States FlagArlington, TX 72.4
United States FlagAsheville, NC 72.4
United States FlagAtlanta, GA 72.4
United States FlagAustin, TX 72.4
United States FlagBakersfield, CA 72.4
United States FlagBaltimore, MD 72.4
United States FlagBellevue, WA 72.4
United States FlagBellingham, WA 72.4
United States FlagBerkeley, CA 72.4
United States FlagBirmingham, AL 72.4
United States FlagBoise, ID 72.4
United States FlagBoston, MA 72.4
United States FlagBoulder, CO 72.4
United States FlagBrooklyn, NY 72.4
United States FlagBuffalo, NY 72.4
United States FlagBurlington, VT 72.4
United States FlagCharleston, SC 72.4
United States FlagCharlotte, NC 73.33
United States FlagChattanooga, TN 72.4
United States FlagChicago, IL 72.4
United States FlagCincinnati, OH 72.4
United States FlagCleveland, OH 72.4
United States FlagColumbia, SC 72.4
United States FlagColumbus, OH 72.4
United States FlagDallas, TX 72.4
United States FlagDayton, OH 72.4
United States FlagDenver, CO 72.4
United States FlagDes Moines, IA 72.4
United States FlagDetroit, MI 72.4
United States FlagEl Paso, TX 72.4
United States FlagEugene, OR 72.4
United States FlagEverett, WA 72.4
United States FlagFayetteville, AR 72.4
United States FlagFort Myers, FL 72.4
United States FlagFort Wayne, IN 72.4
United States FlagFort Worth, TX 72.4
United States FlagFresno, CA 74.2
United States FlagGainesville, FL 74.2
United States FlagGrand Rapids, MI 74.2
United States FlagGreensboro, NC 74.2
United States FlagHartford, CT 74.2
United States FlagHonolulu, HI 74.2
United States FlagHouston, TX 74.2
United States FlagHuntsville, AL 74.2
United States FlagIndianapolis, IN 74.2
United States FlagIrvine, CA 74.2
United States FlagJacksonville, FL 74.2
United States FlagJersey City, NJ 74.2
United States FlagKansas City, MO 74.2
United States FlagKnoxville, TN 74.2
United States FlagLas Vegas, NV 74.2
United States FlagLexington, KY 74.2
United States FlagLittle Rock, AR 74.2
United States FlagLong Beach, CA 74.2
United States FlagLos Angeles, CA 74.2
United States FlagLouisville, KY 74.2
United States FlagLubbock, TX 74.2
United States FlagMadison, WI 74.2
United States FlagMemphis, TN 74.2
United States FlagMiami, FL 74.2
United States FlagMilwaukee, WI 74.2
United States FlagMinneapolis, MN 74.2
United States FlagNashville, TN 74.2
United States FlagNew Orleans, LA 74.2
United States FlagNew York, NY 74.2
United States FlagOakland, CA 74.2
United States FlagOklahoma City, OK 74.2
United States FlagOlympia, WA 74.2
United States FlagOrlando, FL 74.2
United States FlagPeoria, IL 72.4
United States FlagPhiladelphia, PA 72.4
United States FlagPhoenix, AZ 72.4
United States FlagPittsburgh, PA 72.4
United States FlagPortland, ME 72.4
United States FlagPortland, OR 72.4
United States FlagRaleigh, NC 72.4
United States FlagRichmond, VA 74.2
United States FlagRochester, NY 74.2
United States FlagSacramento, CA 74.2
United States FlagSaint Louis, MO 74.2
United States FlagSaint Paul, MN 74.2
United States FlagSaint Petersburg, FL 74.2
United States FlagSalem, OR 74.2
United States FlagSalt Lake City, UT 74.2
United States FlagSan Antonio, TX 74.2
United States FlagSan Diego, CA 74.2
United States FlagSan Francisco, CA 74.2
United States FlagSan Jose, CA 74.2
United States FlagSanta Barbara, CA 74.2
United States FlagSanta Rosa, CA 74.2
United States FlagSeattle, WA 74.2
United States FlagSpokane, WA 74.2
United States FlagSpringfield, MO 74.2
United States FlagSyracuse, NY 74.2
United States FlagTacoma, WA 74.2
United States FlagTallahassee, FL 74.2
United States FlagTampa, FL 74.2
United States FlagToledo, OH 74.2
United States FlagTucson, AZ 74.2
United States FlagTulsa, OK 74.2
United States FlagVancouver, WA 74.2
United States FlagVirginia Beach, VA 74.2
United States FlagWashington, DC 74.2
United States FlagWest Palm Beach, FL 74.2
United States FlagWichita, KS 74.2

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1 Review on Reno, NV

  1. V
    Virginia says:

    This post really captures the charm of Reno. It’s amazing to think about how much it has to offer, especially with the beauty of the outdoors right at your doorstep. Makes me want to visit soon!

Reno, NV Rated 4 / 5 based on 1 user reviews.

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