3.14/5
266 reviews
Photo by Michael Hart via Unsplash

Cost of Living in Salt Lake City, UT

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art

culture

mormons

skiing

class

street

white

boring

great

dating

slc

Salt Lake City has some strong points, especially for those visiting for skiing or outdoor activities. The skiing is excellent and draws many visitors, and people in the city are generally friendly and polite. The city is quite safe, with no notably sketchy areas, and many parts are walkable, though locations can be spread out.

However, there are multiple downsides. Air quality in winter is a consistent concern due to inversion and surrounding industrial pollution, making it one of the worst in the country during that season. The cultural scene feels lacking to some, with few museums or diverse art events, and the city's limited diversity may affect social life for people of color, particularly in the dating scene. The nightlife is mostly geared toward college students, leaving fewer options for older visitors or residents. Visitors who aren’t skiing may find the city uninteresting overall.

Another practical concern is the airport design; those flying airlines other than Delta may face long walks—up to 20 minutes—to reach their gates, which is especially challenging for older or mobility-impaired travelers. All in all, Salt Lake City may suit outdoor enthusiasts but could disappoint others depending on interests and background.

AI-generated summary of reviews
57 years ago

Did the previous reviewer say world class art and culture? Where would this be because after 2 years there, I was craving art and culture. Like, my experience is the polar opposite so unless art includes street statues that happen a month of each year and if by culture meaning you run into a single black guy on the street, I don't get it. It's really white, very few Hispanics, almost no blacks and few Asians. No museums (outside of historical ones). Most of the Mormons live in Provo if that matters. There weren't really any sketchy areas I've encountered in SLC.

SLC is a good city to visit especially if you're skiing. If you're not skiing, I don't know what else you can do. I found the city to be quite boring.

The national parks in eastern and southern UT are gorgeous but we're talking 4-8 hour drive away. Skiing is great. I personally like Park City but it's boring there too. Dating sucks all around. Between recovering Mormons to Mormons, there aren't a lot in between even if the city attracts non-mormons to work there.
And if you're not white, it'll be a struggle in the dating scene. SLC nightlife is dominated mainly by college kids. There's only 3 places that I'd consider hanging at as a 30's and up nomad and they're not very close to each other. It's a walkable city although things are a bit spread apart.

The new SLC airport did not consider those who fly on airlines other than Delta. It's a 20 minute walk to get from check in to the furthest gate in terminal B. Imagine old folks and handicap. Crazy.

3 years ago

Salt Lake is a great place to be: Tons of things to do, world class art and culture, some of the best snow in America, friendly polite people. However, the metrics score/ review is inaccurate, during the winter, Salt Lake has some of the worst air quality in the country. It's called inversion, look it up. Somehow being surrounded by coal power plants and oil refineries, while being horizonally sandwiched between two east-west mountain ranges, at high altitude, and two major north south, east west freeways, creates third world level pollution.

6 years ago

✅ Good skiing

✅ Friendly people

✅ Walkable city

✅ Very safe

✅ Fast internet

✅ Good air quality on average

✅ Many Nomads.com members have been

✅ Spacious and not crowded

✅ Very easy to do business

✅ High quality of education

✅ Great hospitals

✅ Roads are very safe

✅ Great freedom of speech

✅ Democratic

✅ Everyone speaks English

✅ Family friendly

✅ Very friendly to LGBTQ+

✅ Not many people smoke tobacco

❌ Very poor air quality in winter

❌ Lack of diversity

❌ Limited nightlife for adults

❌ Boring if not skiing

❌ Poor airport design for non-Delta passengers

❌ Lacking art and culture

❌ Very expensive

❌ Not very safe

❌ Not much to do

❌ Cold now

❌ Gets cold in the winter

❌ Nomads.com members didn't like going here

❌ Not many Nomads.com members right now

❌ Difficult to make friends

❌ Not safe for women

❌ High alcohol consumption

❌ Marijuana is illegal

Jan

Feb

Mar

Apr

May

Jun

Jul

Aug

Sep

Oct

Nov

Dec

Feels (median)

236°
cold

337°
cold

948°
cold

1254°
cool

1864°
cool

2577°
warm

2781°
warm

2679°
warm

1559°
cool

1050°
cold

0°
freezing

Real (median)

236°
very cold

337°
very cold

1049°
cold

1254°
cool

1763°
cool

2679°
warm

2983°
very warm

2679°
warm

1558°
cool

1049°
cold

032°
freezing

Humidity

nice
62%

nice
54%

nice
49%

nice
34%

nice
33%

too dry
24%

too dry
27%

too dry
29%

nice
32%

nice
57%

nice
58%

nice
65%

Most common

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

☀️ Clear

☔️ Rain

Rain

dry
4mm

dry
22mm

dry
6mm

dry
9mm

dry
19mm

dry
13mm

dry
11mm

dry
15mm

dry
3mm

rainy
54mm

dry
20mm

dry
34mm

Cloud

pockets
28%

pockets
36%

pockets
28%

pockets
16%

pockets
24%

pockets
17%

pockets
21%

clear
8%

pockets
12%

pockets
37%

pockets
30%

pockets
38%

Air quality

clean
35 US AQI

clean
15 US AQI

clean
16 US AQI

clean
17 US AQI

clean
20 US AQI

clean
29 US AQI

clean
28 US AQI

clean
25 US AQI

clean
20 US AQI

clean
30 US AQI

clean
38 US AQI

Sun

safe
2 UVI

seek shade
3 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

avoid sun
10 UVI

avoid sun
9 UVI

avoid sun
7 UVI

seek shade
4 UVI

seek shade
3 UVI

safe
2 UVI

Remote workers

2,618 people

1,800 people

1,662 people

1,691 people

1,615 people

1,650 people

1,800 people

1,700 people

1,909 people

1,740 people

2,100 people

Green is good. Red is bad. Values shown are the medians of all daily highs in a month based on past few years, not necessarily current numbers. Remote worker count is estimated based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members.

If you'd like to filter destinations based on their climate, try Nomads.com's Climate Finder

Based on Salt Lake City's cost of living, here's selected remote jobs that would cover your costs:

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Park City, UT

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 4° 39° 5° 42°

🚕1h

$6,524 / mo

47 Mbps

Ogden, UT

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🙂 Okay

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 11° 52° 11° 51°

🚕2h

$2,830 / mo

124 Mbps

Provo, UT

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 11° 52° 11° 52°

🚕2h

$3,630 / mo

126 Mbps

Logan, UT

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 8° 46° 8° 47°

🚕4h

$3,833 / mo

87 Mbps

Pocatello, ID

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 6° 43° 8° 47°

✈️19min

$3,837 / mo

42 Mbps

Idaho Falls, ID

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 4° 39° 6° 43°

✈️24min

$3,179 / mo

47 Mbps

Grand Junction, CO

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 14° 57° 14° 58°

✈️27min

$3,378 / mo

36 Mbps

St. George, UT

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 22° 72° 22° 72°

✈️34min

$5,364 / mo

123 Mbps

Centennial, CO

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

✈️37min

$4,286 / mo

129 Mbps

Boise, ID

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 9° 48° 9° 49°

✈️38min

$3,876 / mo

98 Mbps

Cody, WY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 8° 46° 10° 50°

✈️38min

$4,037 / mo

49 Mbps

Casper, WY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 10° 50° 11° 52°

✈️41min

$3,352 / mo

45 Mbps

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 1° 34° 3° 38°

✈️4h

$7,083 / mo

29 Mbps

San Francisco, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 20° 68° 19° 65°

✈️1h

$5,664 / mo

84 Mbps

Denver, CO

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 14° 57° 14° 57°

✈️48min

$4,150 / mo

89 Mbps

Detroit, MI

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked very bad

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels -2° 28° 0° 32° AQI 63 😷

✈️3h

$4,900 / mo

39 Mbps

Buenos Aires

Argentina

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 24° 75° 24° 76°

✈️13h

$1,699 / mo

13 Mbps

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 43° 109° 32° 89° 🥵 AQI 85 😷

✈️17h

$1,647 / mo

24 Mbps

Amsterdam

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52° AQI 30

✈️11h

$6,508 / mo

21 Mbps

Bogota

Colombia

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety very bad

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 19° 66° 18° 65° AQI 95 😷

✈️7h

$1,287 / mo

9 Mbps

Los Angeles, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 25° 77° 25° 78° AQI 66 😷

✈️1h

$5,059 / mo

77 Mbps

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 14° 57° 14° 58° AQI 70 😷

✈️12h

$4,524 / mo

34 Mbps

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 11° 52° 12° 54° AQI 63 😷

✈️10h

$5,764 / mo

23 Mbps

Dallas, TX

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 24° 75° 24° 76°

✈️2h

$3,881 / mo

72 Mbps

Las Vegas, NV

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 26° 79° 26° 78°

✈️47min

$4,374 / mo

🌇 Also went here85 people

Denver, CO

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 14° 57° 14° 57°

✈️48min

$4,150 / mo

🌇 Also went here88 people

Los Angeles, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 25° 77° 25° 78° AQI 66 😷

✈️1h

$5,059 / mo

🌇 Also went here116 people

San Francisco, CA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 20° 68° 19° 65°

✈️1h

$5,664 / mo

🌇 Also went here123 people

Seattle, WA

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked great

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 9° 48° 10° 50°

✈️2h

$5,446 / mo

🌇 Also went here85 people

Mexico City

Mexico

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety bad

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 22° 72° 22° 72° AQI 97 😷

✈️4h

$2,236 / mo

🌇 Also went here82 people

New York City, NY

United States

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌥 Feels 1° 34° 3° 38°

✈️4h

$7,083 / mo

🌇 Also went here133 people

London

United Kingdom

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 11° 52° 12° 54° AQI 63 😷

✈️10h

$5,764 / mo

🌇 Also went here113 people

Amsterdam

Netherlands

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌦 Feels 10° 50° 11° 52° AQI 30

✈️11h

$6,508 / mo

🌇 Also went here102 people

Paris

France

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😳 Extremely expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety mediocre

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 13° 55° 14° 57° AQI 66 😷

✈️11h

$5,513 / mo

🌇 Also went here102 people

Lisbon

Portugal

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked bad

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 14° 57° 14° 58° AQI 46

✈️11h

$3,946 / mo

🌇 Also went here101 people

Berlin

Germany

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

☀️ Feels 16° 61° 16° 60° AQI 63 😷

✈️11h

$4,148 / mo

🌇 Also went here78 people

Barcelona

Spain

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Very expensive

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌫 Feels 14° 57° 14° 58° AQI 70 😷

✈️12h

$4,524 / mo

🌇 Also went here103 people

Tokyo

Japan

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 🧐 Pricey

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked good

👮 Safety great

Tap to open

🌤 Feels 14° 57° 14° 57° AQI 25

✈️12h

$3,369 / mo

🌇 Also went here80 people

Bangkok

Thailand

⭐️ OverallAll

💵 Cost 😙 Affordable

📡 InternetWiFi 🚀 Super fast

👍 Liked mediocre

👮 Safety good

Tap to open

🌧 Feels 43° 109° 32° 89° 🥵 AQI 85 😷

✈️17h

$1,647 / mo

🌇 Also went here86 people

1,200 remote workers in Salt Lake City now, of which 2+ members checked in (some members are set to private)

Members who will be here soon

Members who have been here

Values shown are estimated visits by traveling remote workers based on the total amount of trips logged by Nomads.com members. Visits to a place are only counted once per year per user, even if they visit more in that year. Visits are also normalized by overall trips added per month on the site, so if site usage goes up or down it does not affect trends. Not all digital nomads are on Nomads.com, and not all Nomads.com members log their trips. So the data is only indicative.

The chart below shows visitors by nationality normalized for population size. This means we take all trips logged on Nomads.com, check which country of origin the user is from, then divide that total visit count by the country of origin's population. If we didn't, it'd just show the big countries like US, Brazil and India always on top. Instead, this shows which nationalities worldwide proportionally visit more or less, which is more useful.

🎒 Nomad Score™	3.14/5 (Rank #437) 266 reviews
❤️ Liked by members	👍5 liked it 👎3 disliked it
👍 Quality of life score	Good
👶 Family score	Good
🎒 Community score	Okay
🤯 Overcrowding score	1% is nomad here
💵 Cost	🧐 Pricey: $3,556 / mo
📡 Internet	🚀 Super fast: 74 Mbps (avg)
😝 Fun	Okay
⛅️ Temperature (now)	🥶 Too cold: 11°C51°F (feels 11°C52°F)
💦 Humidity (now)	😊 Comfy: 69%
❄️ % of buildings with AC	😍 Very high: 90%
💨 Air quality (annual)	🌱 Great: 24 US AQI
👌 Safety	Okay
👩 Safe for women	Bad
🌈 Safe for LGBTQ+	Great
🤮 Food safety*	Great
👮‍♀️ Lack of crime*	Okay
🤝 Lack of racism*	Good
🎓 Education level*	High
⚡️ Power grid	Great
🌊 Vulnerability to climate change	Good
💰 Income level*	Very high: $4,817 / mo
🙊 English speaking*	Great
🚶 Walkability	Great
🚦 Traffic safety*	Okay
✈️ Airline scores*	Good
🧳 Lost luggage*	Good
🏥 Hospitals	Great
😄 Happiness*	Bad
🍸 Nightlife	Okay
📶 Free WiFi in city	Great
🖥 Places to work from	Great
❄️ A/C or heating	Great
😁 Friendly to foreigners	Great
🗯 Freedom of speech*	Good
🎅 Startup Score	Good

🌍 Continent	North America
🚩 Country	United States
🗓️ Average trip length	10 days
📡 Internet speed (avg)	74 Mbps
⛅️ Weather (now)	☀️ 11°C 51°F + 😊 Comfy (69%) = feels 11°C 52°F
💨 Air quality (annual avg)	👍 25 US AQI
🔌 Power	115V 60Hz
🚕 Best taxi app*	Uber
🚑 Travel medical insurance	Safetywing
💸 Tipping	Yes, 15%
💳 Cashless	💳 Yes, cards OK almost everywhere
🚰 Tap water	👌 Yes, safe to drink
♻️ Return rate	👍11% of visitors return
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Population	190,000 people
👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 GDP per capita*	$57,808 / year
👫 Gender ratio (population)	👨 52% 👱‍♀️ 48%
👫 Gender ratio (young adults)	👨 52% 👱‍♀️ 48%
👫 Gender ratio (nomads)	👨 85% 👱‍♀️ 15%
🏞 Foreign land ownership allowed	Yes
⛪️ Religious government	Non-religious
💻 Online electronics shop	Amazon
🏠 Apartment listings	Craigslist
✈️ Best short-haul air carrier	Southwest
✈️ Best int'l air carrier	Delta

💵 Cost of living for nomad	$3,556 / month
💵 Cost of living for expat	$2,396 / month
💵 Cost of living for family	$5,686 / month
💵 Cost of living for local	$1,625 / month
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$2,370 / month
🏡 Airbnb (median price)	$2,592 / month
🏠 1br studio rent in center	$1,300 / month
🏠 Median home price	$540,000
🏨 Hotel (median price)	$111 / night
🏠 Airbnb (median price)	$85 / night
🏢 Coworking hot desk	$243 / month
🍛 Dinner	$11
🥤 Coca-Cola (0.3L)	$2
🍺 Beer in cafe (0.5L)	$5
☕️ Coffee in cafe	$4
👩‍🏫 International school	$8,782 / year
📱 Mobile data (~10GB)	$10 / month
🚕 Taxi price (avg trip ~3km/2mi)	$6 / trip
💰 Estimated tax on $50,000	$12,352
💰 Estimated tax on $100,000	$30,278
💰 Estimated tax on $250,000	$71,127