Las Vegas vs Vancouver

Las Vegas built an entire city around entertainment — the Strip's casino resorts recreate Paris, Venice, and New York within walking distance of each other, staging residencies, fountain shows, and round-the-clock dining. Beyond the neon, Red Rock Canyon and the Grand Canyon are both feasible day trips from a city that never fully turns its lights off.

Vancouver combines a dense, walkable downtown with mountains and ocean visible from nearly every street corner. Stanley Park's seawall, the North Shore mountains for skiing or hiking, and a food scene shaped by Pacific Rim influences make it consistently ranked among the world's most liveable cities, if also one of the more expensive.