What is the cost of living in Reno?

Reno has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) of 101.0, where 100 represents the national average. Housing costs index at 123.5, which is above the national average. The average 2-bedroom rent is $1,272/month.

What is the median salary in Reno?

The median salary in Reno is $66,688 annually (mean: $70,772). Top occupations include Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand, Stockers and Order Fillers, General and Operations Managers.

The violent crime rate in the Reno area is 407 per 100,000 population (state-level data). Property crime rate is 2226 per 100K.

What are the schools like in Reno?

The state of NV has 742 schools (state-level data, no metro-level federal count exists) with an average student-teacher ratio of 20.5:1. Charter schools make up 13.6% of all schools.

How much does childcare cost in Reno?

Infant center-based childcare in the Reno area averages $10,033 per year. Preschool averages $8,309/year. These are state-level averages.

Is Reno a good place to relocate?

Reno has a Life Score of 50.8/100 (D), based on 7 of 7 available dimensions among cost of living, wages, rent, crime, schools, childcare, and environment (missing dims omitted, weights renormalized). This is a middle-of-the-pack score, where the composite lands for most US metros; look at individual dimensions to see the real trade-offs.

Where does Reno sit among US metros on LiveAbility?

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite, Reno ranks #347 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). That ordinal matches the /rankings/livability listing. See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.

Relocation profile · Federal data

Reno, NV

LiveAbility 36.7/100 places Reno #347 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Compiled by PlainRelocate · June 15, 2026

101.0
Cost index (US=100): $1,272
2BR rent / mo: $66,688
Median salary: 36.7
LiveAbility Score

The verdict

As of June 2026, Reno ranks #347 of 387 US metros on the LiveAbility Score (36.7/100), with its strongest marks in low hazard and job market.

#347
of 387 US metros · Below median: 3,267,467
metro-area population: 407
violent crimes per 100K (state-level): 742
schools in the state (NCES)

Weakest dimension: schools (1/100). Weigh every dimension against your own priorities, use the City Finder to re-rank by what matters to you.

According to PlainRelocate's LiveAbility composite (BEA, BLS, HUD, FBI, NCES, EPA, NOAA, and FEMA inputs), Reno ranks #347 of 387 scored US metros by LiveAbility Score (highest score = #1). Cost-of-living index 101.0 (100 = national average), median 2-bedroom rent $1,272/mo, median salary $66,688; LiveAbility Score 36.7/100, strongest in low hazard and job market.

Signature: LiveAbility 36.7/100 places Reno #347 of 387 (bottom third of scored metros).

Purchasing power tightens: BEA RPP 101.0 lands in the dearer third of scored metros (cuts at 91.5 / 97.0). Median 2BR rent $1,272/mo.

LiveAbility 36.7/100 puts Reno in the bottom third (#347 of 387).

BLS OEWS total employment in the Reno area is 266,130.

Reno vs all US metros by LiveAbility Score

Where this metro's LiveAbility Score falls among every scored US metro (composite placement, not a desirability verdict)

37 Top 90% higher than 10% of 387 US metros

Metros banded by LiveAbility Score (0–100)

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source PlainRelocate LiveAbility Score · June 2026

Reno housing and rent

HUD Fair Market Rents for the Reno MSA; housing RPP 123.5 (100 = national average); 2BR $1,272/mo.

Studio

$1,070

/month

1 Bedroom

$1,076

/month

2 Bedroom

$1,272

/month

3 Bedroom

$1,769

/month

4 Bedroom

$2,134

/month

Reno wages and employment

Reno posts 266,130 total employment with median salary $66,688 against a dearer-than-average RPP.

Median Salary

$66,688

Mean Salary

$70,772

Total Employment

266,130

Top Occupations by Employment

Occupation	Median Salary
Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand	$43,990
Stockers and Order Fillers	$38,020
General and Operations Managers	$106,050
Miscellaneous Assemblers and Fabricators	$49,050
Retail Salespersons	$35,160

Schools & Education

State-level education data for the Reno area from NCES.

Schools

742

Enrollment

480,464

Student:Teacher

20.5:1

Title I %

Childcare Costs

State-average childcare costs for the Reno area (DOL data).

Infant (Center)

$10,033

per year

Toddler (Center)

$8,666

per year

Preschool (Center)

$8,309

per year

Life Score Breakdown

Reno's composite Life Score is 50.8/100 (D), computed across 7 of 7 dimensions.

Cost

17/100

Bottom decile

Wages

70/100

Strong

Rent

53/100

Average

Crime

28/100

Weak

Schools

99/100

Elite

Childcare

55/100

Above average

Environment

58/100

Above average

LiveAbility Score

View full rankings →

Reno ranks #347 out of 387 metros with a LiveAbility Score of 36.7/100 - a composite of 8 of 8 quality-of-life dimensions from federal data. Customize the weights to match your priorities →

Strongest dimension: Low hazard (94/100)

Low hazard

94
Job market

70
Housing

53
Safety

29
Air quality

20
Cost of living

17
Climate

2
Schools

1

What this shows Reno's strongest dimensions are low hazard and job market; its weakest among scored dims is schools at 1/100. Default weights: cost 18%, jobs & housing 15% each, safety & schools 12%, air & hazard 10%, climate 8%.

Compare Reno to

Ithaca Jackson Jackson Jackson Jacksonville Jacksonville

Metros near Reno on cost, LiveAbility, or wages

Nearest out-of-state neighbors to Reno on BEA RPP, LiveAbility, or BLS median salary, a different lens than the size-ranked list.

Similar cost of living (BEA RPP)

Similar LiveAbility score

Source: BEA Regional Price Parities, HUD Fair Market Rents, BLS OES, FBI UCR, NCES, DOL, EPA June 2026

Reno cost figures follow BEA Regional Price Parities and HUD Fair Market Rents; Reno wages and LiveAbility inputs follow BLS OEWS plus the federal sources listed in methodology. This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Scores are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation. How this data is sourced.

Verify with BEA → · Verify with BLS → · Verify with HUD → · Verify with NOAA → · Verify with FEMA → · Verify with Census →

Thinking about Reno?

Reno runs a $66,688 median salary at a 101.0 cost index, ranking #347 of 387 nationally on LiveAbility.

See exactly what Reno's pay and cost figures mean for your own budget. Salary calculator
Put Reno head-to-head against another city on the same dimensions. Compare Reno
Abilene is the closest related metro in this corpus -- see how it stacks up. Abilene profile
A cheaper cost index and a higher LiveAbility score don't always point the same direction -- here's how to weigh the trade-off. Cost vs quality guide

Cost, salary and score figures are federal-data percentiles, not a move recommendation.