Los Angeles vs Las Vegas
Which would you pick?
The short answer
They cost about the same day to day — Los Angeles $110–220, Las Vegas $100–250 mid-range per person. Both Los Angeles and Las Vegas are at their best in Mar–May, Oct–Nov, so one trip can take in both.
Is Los Angeles cheaper than Las Vegas?
Not by much: Los Angeles and Las Vegas cost about the same day to day, within 3% of each other ($110–220 against $100–250 mid-range per person).
- A cheap local meal starts about 25% lower in Los Angeles ($6–14) than in Las Vegas ($8–15).
- A mid-range hotel night starts about 50% lower in Las Vegas ($90–220) than in Los Angeles ($180–320).
- A single transit ride starts about 71% lower in Los Angeles ($1.75) than in Las Vegas ($6).
Side by side
Los Angeles and Las Vegas side by side, mid-range per person in US dollars, both costed the same way (how we work these out).
| 🇺🇸 Los Angeles | 🇺🇸 Las Vegas | |
|---|---|---|
| Daily budgetmid-range, per person | $110–220 | $100–250 |
| Cheap meallocal staple | $6–14cheaper | $8–15 |
| Mid-range hotelper night | $180–320 | $90–220cheaper |
| Transit ridesingle trip | $1.75cheaper | $6 |
| Avg. monthly salarylocal, for context | ≈ $5,200 | ≈ $3,900 |
What 3 and 7 days cost in Los Angeles and Las Vegas
| Trip, per person | Los Angeles | Las Vegas |
|---|---|---|
| 3 daysmid-range | $330–660 | $300–750 |
| 7 daysmid-range | $770–1,540 | $700–1,750 |
| 3 daysbudget | $195–390 | $180–450 |
| 7 daysbudget | $455–910 | $420–1,050 |
Over a full week Las Vegas costs about $70 more per person than Los Angeles.
Against local wages, one mid-range visitor day costs about 3% of an average monthly salary in Los Angeles (≈ $5,200) and 4% in Las Vegas (≈ $3,900).
The cheapest beds listed are $40–70 a night in Los Angeles (Hostel dorm) against $50–90 in Las Vegas (Budget/off-Strip hotel), while the top tier starts around $450 in Los Angeles and $500 in Las Vegas.
Per person and before flights, from each guide's daily budget, which already includes a mid-range room; budget rows use the guides' 60% budget scale.
When to go
Filled months are the ones each guide recommends; hollow ones it warns off.
| Month | Los Angeles | Las Vegas |
|---|---|---|
| January | So-so | So-so |
| February | So-so | So-so |
| March | Good | Good |
| April | Good | Good |
| May | Good | Good |
| June | Avoid | Avoid |
| July | So-so | Avoid |
| August | So-so | Avoid |
| September | Good | So-so |
| October | Good | Good |
| November | Good | Good |
| December | So-so | So-so |
Both Los Angeles and Las Vegas are in season in Mar–May and Oct–Nov, the window for a trip that takes in both.
In Sep only Los Angeles is at its best, while Las Vegas's guide doesn't recommend that month.
The Los Angeles and Las Vegas guides both warn off Jun, so plan a first trip to either outside those months.
Which one suits you
🇺🇸 Pick Los Angeles over Las Vegas for
- Eating out cheaply: $6–14 in Los Angeles against $8–15 in Las Vegas.
- Nightlife with a different flavour: Los Angeles has Skybar at Mondrian (an open-air poolside bar on the Sunset Strip that's been a West Hollywood fixture…), where Las Vegas offers Chandelier Bar (The Cosmopolitan).
- Travelling in Sep, when Los Angeles is in season and Las Vegas isn't.
- A longer, slower stay: the Los Angeles guide suggests four to five days, the Las Vegas guide two to three days.
🇺🇸 Pick Las Vegas over Los Angeles for
- A cheaper hotel room: $90–220 in Las Vegas against $180–320 in Los Angeles.
- Nightlife with a different flavour: Las Vegas has Chandelier Bar (The Cosmopolitan) (a three-story bar built inside a two-million-crystal chandelier), where Los Angeles offers Skybar at Mondrian.
- A shorter stop: the Las Vegas guide suggests two to three days, the Los Angeles guide four to five days.
One day in Los Angeles against one day in Las Vegas
- Afternoon: in Los Angeles, Inland to Griffith Observatory, which gives you the city and a Hollywood Sign view in one stop; in Las Vegas, the central Strip on foot between Bellagio and Caesars Palace, in and out of the air conditioning rather than along the pavement the whole way.
- Evening: in Los Angeles, Hollywood: dinner at Musso & Frank Grill, then the Comedy Store on the Sunset Strip if you still have energy; in Las Vegas, one show.
Slot by slot from each guide's one-day plan; the full Los Angeles and Las Vegas itineraries go to five days.
What you'd actually do
A few of each guide's picks, one per category before seconds — the full lists are on the guides themselves.
🇺🇸 Los Angeles
Palm trees, freeways, and the Hollywood dream factory — a sprawling patchwork of beach towns and neighborhoods that only really makes sense once you have a car (or a lot of patience).
- Skybar at Mondrian$$$Nightlife
- Musso & Frank Grill$$$Restaurants
- Hollywood Bowl$$Theater & shows
- No Vacancy$$$Nightlife
- Guelaguetza$$Restaurants
🇺🇸 Las Vegas
Neon, casinos, and round-the-clock spectacle in the middle of the Mojave Desert — a city built entirely to make time disappear, for better or worse.
- Chandelier Bar (The Cosmopolitan)$$Nightlife
- Bacchanal Buffet (Caesars Palace)$$$Restaurants
- "O" by Cirque du Soleil (Bellagio)$$$Theater & shows
- Omnia Nightclub (Caesars Palace)$$$Nightlife
- Lotus of Siam$$Restaurants
Practicalities
| Los Angeles | Las Vegas | |
|---|---|---|
| Language | English, with Spanish widely spoken given LA's large Latino population — many menus and signs are bilingual. | English, with Spanish widely spoken given the large hospitality workforce. |
Currency, Time zone, Power, Tap water, Emergency are the same in Los Angeles and Las Vegas; see either guide for the details.
Getting between Los Angeles and Las Vegas
What the Las Vegas guide says about reaching Los Angeles:
- Or drive out — Los Angeles is the obvious onward move, and our guide there covers what to do with the extra days.
Staying, getting around, money and safety in Los Angeles and Las Vegas
First-timers usually base themselves in Santa Monica or Hollywood in Los Angeles, and in The Strip (center) or North Strip in Las Vegas.
Tipping differs: in Los Angeles, Expected, not optional — 18–22% at sit-down restaurants, 15–20% for rideshares, $1–2 per drink at bars, and $3–5 cash for valet parking (extremely common in LA); in Las Vegas, Expected everywhere and taken seriously — dealers ($1–5 per hand or session, more if winning), bartenders and cocktail servers ($1–2 per drink), valet ($3–5), housekeeping ($3–5/night left daily), and 18–22% at sit-down restaurants.
The Los Angeles guide warns about 4 scams (Car break-ins, Unofficial 'tour bus' or map sellers, Costumed characters on Hollywood Boulevard), the Las Vegas guide about 4 (Unlicensed 'club promoters' handing out flyers, Street 'CD' or comedy-show ticket hawkers, Hidden resort fees not disclosed until checkout).
Arriving: in Los Angeles, LAX sits fairly centrally but far from everything given LA's sprawl — the LAX FlyAway bus, Metro rail (via the new people mover), or rideshare/taxi (~$35–65 depending on destination and traffic) are the main options; in Las Vegas, Harry Reid International (LAS) is unusually close to the Strip — a rideshare or taxi typically takes 15–20 minutes and costs $20–30.
Day to day, the Los Angeles guide covers getting around by Renting a car, metro rail & buses and Rideshare (Uber/Lyft), the Las Vegas guide by walking the Strip, the Deuce & monorail and Rideshare/taxi.
On cash and cards, the Los Angeles guide says cards and phone tap-to-pay work everywhere, including rideshares, parking meters, and most food trucks, while the Las Vegas guide says cards and phone tap-to-pay are accepted everywhere on the Strip and Downtown, including at slot machines and table games via casino cage transactions.
For mobile data in Los Angeles, most major US carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon) offer tourist eSIMs, or set one up in advance via Airalo or similar before you land — pay-as-you-go physical SIMs are also available at LAX and phone shops citywide; in Las Vegas, most major US carriers (T-Mobile, AT&T, Verizon) offer tourist eSIMs, or set one up in advance via Airalo or similar before you land — pay-as-you-go physical SIMs are also available at Harry Reid Airport and phone shops.
On safety, the Los Angeles guide's verdict is “Los Angeles is generally safe for visitors in the areas tourists frequent (Santa Monica, Hollywood, Downtown's core, Venice's main strip), though petty crime including car break-ins is a real and specific risk — never leave visible valuables in a parked car, even briefly” and the Las Vegas guide's is “Las Vegas is generally safe for visitors in the Strip and Downtown tourist corridors, which are heavily patrolled and monitored.”
Los Angeles vs Las Vegas: common questions
Is Los Angeles cheaper than Las Vegas?
Not by much: Los Angeles and Las Vegas cost about the same day to day, within 3% of each other ($110–220 against $100–250 mid-range per person). A cheap local meal starts about 25% lower in Los Angeles ($6–14) than in Las Vegas ($8–15).
When is the best time to visit Los Angeles and Las Vegas?
Los Angeles is at its best in Mar–May and Sep–Nov and Las Vegas in Mar–May and Oct–Nov; the months they share are Mar–May and Oct–Nov.
How many days do you need for Los Angeles and Las Vegas?
The Los Angeles guide recommends four to five days and the Las Vegas guide two to three days, so allow about 6–8 days to see both without rushing.
Can you combine Los Angeles and Las Vegas in one trip?
Yes: Los Angeles and Las Vegas are both in United States, so one set of entry rules covers the whole trip. Or drive out — Los Angeles is the obvious onward move, and our guide there covers what to do with the extra days.
More comparisons with Los Angeles or Las Vegas
Or read the guides to the nearby alternatives: