Living in Salt Lake City, UT
Mid-size city in Utah
Salt Lake City is a mid-size city in Utah, home to about 204,000 people, with 2.0 million living within 31 mi. Day to day, much of daily life is walkable. Life moves at a moderate pace, and homes are mostly apartments.
In short: Skiing and hiking within about 30 minutes of downtown, a growing tech scene, and very family-oriented.
Is Salt Lake City a good place to live? Pros and cons
👍 Pros
- Strong healthcare: 13 top-rated (4–5★) hospitals within 31 mi
- Easy flying: SLC is 2 mi away
- Great outdoors: hills or mountains nearby
- Low taxes: about $1,818 state income tax per resident, 0.53% property tax
👎 Cons
- Fewer family amenities than most places
- Higher crime: violent crime is 1.9× the US rate (FBI 2019)
Whether it's a good place for you depends on what you value. Take the quiz to see how Salt Lake City ranks against your own priorities.
Key facts
Living in Salt Lake City: common questions
What is the cost of living in Salt Lake City?
A typical 3-bedroom home is worth about $586k, and a 3-bedroom rents for about $2,330 a month including utilities. Overall living costs are close to the US average (index 101, where the US is 100).
What are taxes like in Salt Lake City?
Utah collects about $1,818 in state income tax per resident, and homeowners here pay about 0.53% of their home's value in property tax each year.
Is Salt Lake City safe?
Violent crime is well above the national rate (1.9× in FBI 2019 data).
What is the weather like in Salt Lake City?
Salt Lake City has cold winters: winter days average around 42°F and summer days around 88°F, with roughly 49″ of snow a year.
Does Salt Lake City get natural disasters?
Natural disaster risk is moderate, mainly from earthquakes: 3 federally declared disasters have hit the county since 2000, and FEMA expects about 3.74 deaths or injuries per 100,000 residents a year.
What is the nearest major airport to Salt Lake City?
The nearest major airport is SLC, about 2 mi away.
How Salt Lake City scores
Each bar compares Salt Lake City with the other 1143 places in Best Life Fit Me. A dot shows where it sits between two ends, such as major metro and small town; neither end is better. Coloured bars run from poor (red) to excellent (green).
Places like Salt Lake City
These places have the most similar overall profile across all 23 aspects.
Nearby
See all the best places to live in Utah.
Is Salt Lake City right for you?
Answer 27 quick questions and see how it ranks against your priorities.