Nevada's Housing Crisis: Beyond California's Influence

James Watts, a third generation Las Vegan, and his partner, Lauren Tuvell, just fulfilled a dream that currently might feel out of reach for many long-time Nevada residents. They bought a house. But their purchase was hard-fought. Watts said they would tour a house, only to learn that somebody had already put an offer on it without ever having even seen it. “[We] definitely got our hopes up and then dashed many times because we would go to a house and be like, ‘Oh my God, it's perfect.’” he said. “Like, we're going to put an offer in and then hear from the realtor that three offers are already in above asking.”

Finding a home to buy was difficult for Watts, unlike for some of the 40% of new Nevada residents coming from California. Those newcomers have an average income level about 93% higher than Nevada residents who move within the state, according to a 2024 report by the Lied Center for Real Estate at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas. The demand for more houses paired with those higher California incomes has made it more difficult for residents earning Nevada wages to keep up with the housing market — both in buying and renting. “I don't know what kind of money you must have to be able to put an offer on a house without even looking at it,” Watts said.

The cost of living here is likely to weigh on voters this year, so as part of NPR’s “We, The Voters” series, we asked locals how they’re experiencing higher costs. Nevada realtor Cristine Bullard has seen how Californians moving here have driven up housing prices for the past 15 years. “They sell their house there and they buy two here,” Bullard said. “They can easily pay cash” — often over the asking price.

“The average wage does not support anything close to the average [housing] prices here,” Bullard said. “There's more people, you know, mom, dad and grandma buying the house together. The multigenerational has taken off so much here, and it's because of things like that.” Watts and Tuvell were able to make their purchase by getting a loan for $350,000 and locking in a 6.6% interest rate “which is really great for right now,” Watts said. They also scraped together $20,000 for a downpayment with the help of family members. “Anybody that lives here, if you're spending, you know, as much as you are in rent, you might as well buy,” Watts said. “I think if anyone has the ability to do it, they should do it.”

Corey Dillard, 55, makes around $30,000 annually as an Uber driver. Dillard said sometimes, he struggles to pay his rent of $800 — which used to be $650 when he moved in two years ago. “If you work a lot of hours, you know, if you work 10 to 12 hours a day, then yes, it is possible,” he said. He’s considered cost-burdened under federal guidelines, since he spends more than 30% of his monthly income on rent. About 70% of low-income Nevadans are also considered to be cost-burdened by their housing costs, according to a 2024 report from the National Low Income Housing Coalition. Dillard wants to own a home one day and despite struggling with rent at times, thinks he can become a homeowner in the next three years if he finds a partner to split the costs.