Boulder City vs Henderson: Taxes, Utilities, Growth Cap and Prices

By Mike Roland, Nevada license S.0177048 | Published November 5, 2026 | Updated November 5, 2026 | 26 minute read

Short answer: Boulder City has the lower property tax rate (2.6097 per $100 of assessed value in most districts, against 2.9613 in Henderson), the lower Census median home value ($435,600 against $484,900), and a hard cap of 120 new homes per year. Henderson has far more room to grow, far more new construction and a much larger set of master-planned communities. The real choice is a small city that rations new building and bills its own utilities versus a large city with many more options.

I built this comparison around the rules that decide where your money goes after closing: the tax rate, who sends you the utility bills, and how much new housing each city allows. Every number carries a date and a source, and where I could not verify something this week I left it out.

Verdict box (data as of November 5, 2026): Property tax rate: Boulder City 2.6097 (districts 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58, 59) or 2.5017 (districts 60, 61), Henderson 2.9613, City of Las Vegas 3.2782 (Nevada Department of Taxation, fiscal year 2026-27). Census median home value: Boulder City $435,600, Henderson $484,900 (2020 to 2024 ACS). New-home cap: 120 per construction year in Boulder City. Mortgage rate: 7.18% for a 30-year fixed (Freddie Mac, November 5, 2026). On a $300,000 taxable value the yearly tax is about $2,740 in Boulder City and $3,109 in Henderson, a $369 gap.

Key takeaways

• The tax-rate gap is real but modest: 0.3516 per $100 of assessed value between Boulder City (most districts) and Henderson, worth roughly $369 a year at a $300,000 taxable value.
• Boulder City publishes its own residential electric, water and sewer rates. Henderson buyers deal with the City of Henderson for water and sewer, NV Energy for electricity and Republic Services for trash.
• Boulder City limits new homes to 120 per construction year citywide, so new construction there arrives in small batches. Henderson does not publish a comparable cap in the sources I reviewed.
• Boulder City's land area is about twice Henderson's (208.27 against 106.23 square miles) with about 4% of the population, which shows up in density.
• I did not run an MLS pull for this article, so I am not quoting current active counts, days on market or closed-sale medians for either city.

Table of contents

1. What are the biggest rule differences between Boulder City and Henderson?
2. How do the two cities compare by the Census numbers?
3. What does a home cost in Boulder City and in Henderson?
4. How do property tax rates compare?
5. Who provides utilities, and what do published rates look like?
6. What is Boulder City's 120-home growth cap?
7. How do HOA dues and assessments compare?
8. What about parks, schools and access?
9. Featured community: Boulder City, NV
10. What should I read before buying in either city?
11. Frequently asked questions about Boulder City vs Henderson
12. How can we help?
13. About this article, sources and related reading

What are the biggest rule differences between Boulder City and Henderson?

Most comparisons start with price. I start with rules, because rules decide what you can build, what you pay each month and how much choice you will have. The table is a summary. Each row is explained in the sections that follow.

Table 1. Rule and fee summary, checked November 5, 2026. Sources: Nevada Department of Taxation Redbook Table 2C (fiscal year 2026-27), City of Boulder City residential rates page, City of Henderson sewer ordinance and utilities page, Boulder City Review (October 30, 2025), U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts. Rates are those posted on the pages as of this date.

If you only remember one thing from this table, remember the third row. In Boulder City the supply of new homes is set by ordinance. In Henderson it is set by what builders and master developers choose to open. That single difference explains why the two cities feel so different to shop in.

How do the two cities compare by the Census numbers?

Boulder City is a small city on a very large piece of land. The Census Bureau counted 14,885 people there in 2020 and estimated 14,884 on July 1, 2025, which is flat. Henderson went from 317,610 in 2020 to an estimated 353,289 in 2025. Those two lines are the whole story of growth in the two places.

Table 2. Boulder City and Henderson on Census measures. Source: U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, retrieved November 5, 2026. ACS values are five-year estimates with sampling error. Owner cost as the Census defines it includes mortgage, taxes, insurance and utilities. Population per square mile uses 2020 data.

Look at the owner-cost rows together. Boulder City's median home value is lower, yet its median owner cost with a mortgage is higher ($2,189 against $2,079). I would not over-read that. These are survey medians of owners who bought at different times and at different rates, and a small city's median can swing on a few hundred households. What the table does show is that a lower home value does not automatically mean a lower monthly cost. Check the actual home, not the city average.

What does a home cost in Boulder City and in Henderson?

I could not run my MLS pull for this article, because my MLS login had expired when it was written. I am therefore not publishing a current Boulder City or Henderson closed-sale median, active count or days on market. Instead I use the Census median home values as reference prices, and I convert them to a payment at the rate Freddie Mac reported on November 5, 2026: 7.18% for a 30-year fixed, against 6.22% a year earlier.

Table 3. Principal and interest, 30-year fixed, 80% loan. Rates: Freddie Mac Primary Mortgage Market Survey, 7.18% (November 5, 2026) and 6.22% (one year earlier). Reference prices are Census 2020 to 2024 ACS median values, not current sale prices. Payments are my arithmetic, rounded, and are an illustration rather than a loan quote.

Down payment changes the picture too, and the table above assumes 20% down. At 7.18%, a 5% down payment on the Boulder City reference price means a $413,820 loan and about $2,803 a month in principal and interest. With 10% down the loan is $392,040 and the payment about $2,656. On the Henderson reference price, 5% down gives a $460,655 loan and about $3,121 a month, and 10% down gives $436,410 and about $2,956. These are my own arithmetic from the same formula. They leave out mortgage insurance, which a lender would add below 20% down, so they understate the real cost of a smaller down payment.

The gap between the two reference prices is $49,300. At 7.18% that is $267 a month in principal and interest on an 80% loan. The same loans would cost $242 a month apart at last year's rate. In other words, higher rates widen the monthly gap between a lower-priced and a higher-priced city. For a view of the current valley, the Las Vegas REALTORS September 2026 report showed a $470,000 single-family median valley-wide, flat from a year earlier, with five months of supply. I use it only as a valley reference, since it does not split out these two cities.

For live inventory in each city, use our Boulder City page and our Henderson page, or the home search.

How do property tax rates compare?

Nevada sets the tax on a home by taking its taxable value, applying a 35% assessment ratio and multiplying by the combined rate for the tax district. The rate is quoted per $100 of assessed value. These are the fiscal year 2026-27 rates from the Nevada Department of Taxation's Redbook.

Table 4. Clark County combined property tax rates, fiscal year 2026-27. Source: Nevada Department of Taxation Redbook, Table 2C, as published to the Nevada Legislature. Rates exclude special assessments, which appear as separate lines on a tax bill.

The Henderson rate minus the most common Boulder City rate is 0.3516 per $100 of assessed value. Against the lower 2.5017 districts it is 0.4596. Here is what that means in dollars, using round taxable values I chose to show the arithmetic.

Table 5. Worked annual tax illustration. Taxable values are round numbers for arithmetic, not sale prices or any home's actual assessment. Formula: taxable value x 35% x (rate / 100), rounded to the nearest dollar. Abatements, exemptions and special assessments are excluded. Rates from Table 4.

At a $400,000 taxable value the Henderson bill runs $492 a year above the Boulder City bill at the common rate, which is $41 a month. That is a real number, and it is smaller than the monthly payment difference in Table 3. Notice too that taxable value is not the price. It is the Assessor's figure for land plus the depreciated cost of improvements, so two homes with the same price can carry different bills. I pull the Assessor record on any home a client is serious about.

Who provides utilities, and what do published rates look like?

This is where the two cities differ most in daily life. In Henderson you will open accounts with several companies. In Boulder City the city itself publishes rates for residential electric, water and sewer, and the Boulder City page I reviewed lists a $25 charge to turn on or transfer electric service.

Table 6. Published residential utility rates, checked November 5, 2026. Sources: City of Boulder City, Residential Rates page (effective date not stated on the page); City of Henderson sewer ordinance for 2026 and utilities page. The Boulder City page notes a state-mandated Universal Energy Charge of $0.00039 per kWh on all bills. "Combined" is the page's own label.

One caution on Boulder City rates. The city has been considering increases of up to 5% a year for fiscal years 2027 through 2029 across electric, water and wastewater, per a FOX5 Vegas report on July 23, 2026, with written comments due August 13, 2026. I could not confirm the outcome, so check the city's current rate page before you rely on any figure in Table 6.

Table 7. Worked bill examples from Table 6 rates, my arithmetic. Assumes the usage tiers apply block by block as listed, includes the $13.13 electric service charge, and excludes the Universal Energy Charge, taxes, trash and any rate change since the page was posted. Water examples include the $28.94 service charge and the $26.54 sewer charge. Usage levels are examples, not averages.

I picked the usage levels to show how the electric tiers climb. Going from 2,000 to 3,000 kWh adds $131.50 to the example bill because the 2,001 to 4,000 kWh tier is priced at $0.1315. That is the same shape any tiered schedule has, and it is why a cooling-heavy summer month costs more than twice a mild one. A comparable Henderson example would need NV Energy's current schedule, which I did not verify for this article, so I have not made one up.

Here is how I would make a fair utility comparison for a specific home, step by step:

1. Ask the seller for twelve months of electric, water and sewer bills for the address, not an average.
2. For a Boulder City address, run those kilowatt-hours and gallons through the city's current tiers on its Residential Rates page.
3. For a Henderson address, run the same usage through NV Energy's current residential schedule and the City of Henderson's water and sewer rates.
4. Add trash, which is a separate charge in both cities, and any internet or gas service you plan to use.
5. Compare totals for the hottest and coolest months separately, since tiered pricing makes the summer gap larger.

That method beats any average I could print, because usage depends on the house, the equipment and the people in it.

What is Boulder City's 120-home growth cap?

Boulder City limits residential growth by ordinance. According to a Boulder City Review report dated October 30, 2025, the citywide cap is 120 new homes per construction year, and construction years follow the fiscal year, July 1 through June 30.

Table 8. Boulder City growth-control facts. Source: Boulder City Review, "Council approves allotments for Liberty Ridge," October 30, 2025. The report calls the multi-year schedule theoretical. Check the city for current allotment status.

What does that do to a buyer? First, new construction in Boulder City is scarce by design. A project of 122 homes spread across five construction years is a long runway. If you want a new home, you are likely buying from a small release or from resale. Second, a cap on new homes means the housing stock is mostly what already exists, which is one reason I tell buyers to look closely at resale inspections there. Third, it makes comparisons with Henderson uneven. Henderson has several master plans with active building, so the choice of builders, floor plans and lots is much wider. For a look at those builders, see how I compare the big five Las Vegas builders, and for two of the larger Henderson master plans, see Cadence vs Inspirada.

If you are serious about a new Boulder City home, these are the questions I would bring to the city planning office and to the builder:

1. How many of the 120 allotments for the current construction year are already committed?
2. Has the builder's allotment for this lot been approved, and when does it expire if permits are not pulled?
3. Does the contract allow me to cancel or move the closing date if the allotment lapses?
4. Which utility connections and fees apply to this lot under the city's current rate schedule?
5. Is any special assessment or association attached to the parcel?

A cap does not guarantee any price outcome, and I will not claim it does. It is a fact about supply that you can verify, and what it does to prices depends on demand in any given year.

How do HOA dues and assessments compare?

I am not printing HOA dues for either city. I could not verify current association figures this week, and Henderson dues are often layered across a master association and a sub-association. Boulder City has fewer large master plans, so more homes sit outside an association, but that is a general pattern I have not measured, and each address needs its own check.

Run the same five checks on any home in either city:

1. Ask whether the address has an association, and if so which ones, in writing.
2. Request the resale package with the budget, reserve study and governing documents.
3. Read the rules on rentals, vehicles and trailers, solar and landscaping before you offer.
4. Look up the parcel on the Clark County Treasurer site for special assessment lines, which are separate from dues.
5. Ask the seller or builder for the remaining balance and term of any assessment, in writing.

For Henderson community-level pages with live listings, see Anthem, Green Valley, Seven Hills and Lake Las Vegas. For Boulder City, start with the Boulder City page.

What about parks, schools and access?

Henderson publishes detailed facility counts, and I will use them. The city's parks page lists 77 parks, and its fact sheet lists more than 220 miles of multi-use trails, 21 dog parks and 10 golf courses. It also lists 28 elementary, 7 middle or junior high and 6 high schools in the Clark County School District, plus more than 20 charter schools. The fact sheet is older than the parks page and shows 72 parks, so I treat it as a rough count. Henderson Executive Airport is inside the city, and the city lists three hospitals.

For Boulder City I did not find an equivalent set of verified counts this week, so I do not quote park acreage, school counts or hospital information. I would rather leave a gap than fill it from memory. Both cities are in Clark County, and zoned public schools depend on the address. Use the CCSD Zoning Search and confirm with the district. I make no claims about school quality.

I also do not publish drive times. A time without a mapping source and a time of day is an opinion. Pick your three most frequent destinations, drive each at the hour you would go, and write down the result. That is the access test I trust.

Featured community: Boulder City, NV

This is the dedicated section for the featured place in this comparison, the City of Boulder City.

• Price reference: Census median home value $435,600 (2020 to 2024 ACS). I did not run an MLS pull for this article, so there is no current closed-sale median.
• HOA structure: varies by address. Verify with the resale package.
• Home types: I am not quoting a mix of home types, since I did not verify one this week. Browse live inventory on the Boulder City page.
• Builders: Toll Brothers is named for the Liberty Ridge project (122 homes approved), per the October 30, 2025 Boulder City Review report.
• Utilities: city-published residential electric, water and sewer rates (Table 6).
• Land and density: 208.27 square miles and 71.5 people per square mile (2020 Census).
• Property tax: 2.6097 per $100 of assessed value in districts 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58 and 59, and 2.5017 in districts 60 and 61 (fiscal year 2026-27).
• ZIP code: Boulder City is generally 89005. Confirm the ZIP and city for any address.
• Distances: not published here, because I cannot cite a mapping source and date.

I am the #1 individual agent in Henderson by homes sold in 2025 (RealTrends Verified) and rank #6 in Nevada by units sold (RealTrends Verified). The Roland Team is a Top 1% team with 1,000+ homes sold and 800+ five-star reviews, and we have buyer and seller specialists on staff. If you are weighing Boulder City, call us. The matching relocation guide for the larger city is Moving to Henderson, NV: costs, taxes and your first 90 days.

What should I read before buying in either city?

This is the decision checklist I use with clients choosing between the two. It is built from the data above. Answer each question for your own situation.

1. Do I need new construction? In Boulder City the supply is capped at 120 homes a year, so ask what is actually released. In Henderson, review the active master plans and compare builders.
2. What is my true monthly cost? Add principal and interest at the current rate (Table 3), the tax from the Assessor record (Table 5 shows the arithmetic), utilities (Tables 6 and 7), insurance and any dues.
3. Which utility setup do I want to manage? One city billing for electric, water and sewer, or several providers.
4. What are the water rules for my lot? Southern Nevada water rules limit irrigated grass on new construction. The Southern Nevada Water Authority publishes them, and a conversion rebate of $5 per square foot applies to the first 10,000 square feet for qualifying single-family properties.
5. Does the parcel carry a special assessment? Check the Treasurer record before you remove contingencies.
6. Is the rate environment changing my budget? At 7.18%, a $348,480 loan costs $2,361 a month in principal and interest, and the same loan at 6.22% would cost $2,139, a $222 difference.
7. Have I driven the route at the hour I will drive it? Test, do not assume.

A visit plan, in order

If you can tour both cities in one day, this sequence keeps the comparison honest.

1. Start with the resale home you like most in each city, and ask for the utility history before you walk through.
2. Drive from each home to your most frequent weekly destination at the hour you would actually go.
3. Walk to the closest park or open space from each front door and note the route.
4. Look at the age and condition of the air conditioning system, the roof and the windows, since those drive the summer electric tier you land in.
5. Ask each listing agent about the association structure and for the resale package before you leave.
6. End the day by writing down the monthly total for each home using Tables 3, 5 and 7, so the numbers settle the debate and not the last house you saw.

On the water point, the Southern Nevada Water Authority also says its December 2021 resolution prohibits irrigated grass in the front and back yards of new residential developments, and that a state law bans using Colorado River water on nonfunctional turf starting January 1, 2027 for properties not zoned exclusively for single-family homes. Read the SNWA laws page before you plan a yard.

Frequently asked questions about Boulder City vs Henderson

Is Boulder City cheaper than Henderson?

By two measures, yes: the Census median home value is $435,600 in Boulder City against $484,900 in Henderson, and the property tax rate is 2.6097 per $100 of assessed value in most Boulder City districts against 2.9613 in Henderson. The Census median owner cost with a mortgage is higher in Boulder City ($2,189 against $2,079), so compare actual addresses rather than city averages.

What is the property tax rate in Boulder City, NV?

For fiscal year 2026-27 the combined rate is 2.6097 per $100 of assessed value in tax districts 50, 51, 52, 55, 57, 58 and 59, and 2.5017 in districts 60 and 61, per the Nevada Department of Taxation. Assessed value is 35% of taxable value, so a $300,000 taxable value would owe about $2,740 at 2.6097 before abatements and assessments.

How many new homes can Boulder City build each year?

The citywide cap is 120 new homes per construction year, which runs July 1 through June 30, and no developer may hold more than 30 allotments in one construction year, according to a Boulder City Review report dated October 30, 2025. Allotments expire if permits are not pulled within one year of council approval. Confirm current status with the city.

Who provides electricity in Boulder City?

The City of Boulder City publishes residential electric rates, starting with a $13.13 monthly service charge and a combined rate of $0.0938 per kWh for the first 1,000 kWh. The city page lists a $25 charge to turn on or transfer service. In Henderson, electricity comes from NV Energy.

How much is sewer in Boulder City compared with Henderson?

The Boulder City page lists a monthly residential sewer charge of $26.54, and the City of Henderson's 2026 ordinance lists $22.48 per month for a standard residential account, effective January 1, 2026. Rates can change, so check each city's current schedule before you budget.

Is Boulder City bigger than Henderson?

By land, yes. The 2020 Census lists Boulder City at 208.27 square miles and Henderson at 106.23. By population, no: Boulder City had an estimated 14,884 people on July 1, 2025 and Henderson 353,289. Boulder City's 2020 density was 71.5 people per square mile against 2,989.7 in Henderson.

What mortgage rate should I use to compare payments?

Use the current rate from a lender, and use the Freddie Mac average only as a benchmark. Freddie Mac reported 7.18% for a 30-year fixed on November 5, 2026, down from 7.24% the prior week and up from 6.22% a year earlier. On an 80% loan of $348,480, principal and interest is about $2,361 a month at 7.18%, by my arithmetic.

Do Boulder City and Henderson have special assessments or HOA dues?

Some addresses in each city do, and the amounts vary by parcel. Request the HOA resale package, ask for every association that applies, and check the Clark County Treasurer record for special assessment lines on the tax bill. Dues and assessments are separate charges, and I did not verify current figures for this article.

How can we help?

Here are the trade-offs plainly. Boulder City has the lower tax rate, the lower Census median value, city-published utility rates and a hard cap on new homes, which limits how much new construction you will find. Henderson has a higher tax rate, more new construction, more communities and more choice. Neither is better. The right one depends on what you need to buy and how much you value supply versus choice.

What this data cannot show you is current inventory, how long homes in each city are sitting, what an individual HOA is like, or how a street feels at 5 p.m. I did not run my MLS pull for this article, so I left out current sale medians and active counts rather than estimate them. If you want those numbers for the specific kind of home you are considering, call me and I will pull them the same day.

I am glad to sit down in person or over video, walk through your monthly budget at today's rate, and tour homes in both cities back to back. Call or text (702) 830-9366, use our contact page, or start with why people choose The Roland Team. If you own a home already, our home value tool is a quick first step.

About this article, sources and related reading

About this article

Author: Mike Roland, Nevada real estate license S.0177048, The Roland Team with LPT Realty. Member of the Greater Las Vegas Association of REALTORS and its MLS. Data date: November 5, 2026. Last updated: November 5, 2026. This article describes places by objective attributes such as price, tax rate, fees, supply and rules. The Roland Team follows the Fair Housing Act and does not describe or steer by who lives in an area. Information is believed reliable but is not guaranteed, may change, and is not legal, tax or lending advice. Verify anything that matters with the source. Phone: (702) 830-9366.

Sources

• Nevada Department of Taxation Redbook, Table 2C, Clark County tax rates, fiscal year 2026-27 (via the Nevada Legislature)
• U.S. Census Bureau QuickFacts, Boulder City and Henderson
• City of Boulder City, residential utility rates
• FOX5 Vegas, Boulder City proposes utility rate increases (July 23, 2026)
• Boulder City Review, council approves allotments for Liberty Ridge (October 30, 2025)
• City of Henderson, sewer rates ordinance 2026, utilities page, fact sheet and parks and trails page
• Freddie Mac, Primary Mortgage Market Survey (7.18%, November 5, 2026)
• FOX5 Vegas, Las Vegas REALTORS September 2026 report
• Southern Nevada Water Authority, laws and ordinances and Water Smart Landscapes rebate
• Clark County School District, Zoning Search

Related reading

• Moving to Henderson, NV: costs, taxes and your first 90 days
• Summerlin vs Henderson: which one fits your life
• Cadence vs Inspirada in Henderson
• Moving to Las Vegas in 2026
• The best home builders in Las Vegas
• Boulder City real estate, Boulder City and Henderson real estate
• Payment calculator, pre-approval and first-time home buyers
• Las Vegas real estate and out-of-state buyers