In short
Las Vegas sits in the middle of the Mojave desert. Its real use to a traveller is geographical: the Grand Canyon, Zion, Bryce Canyon, Death Valley and the Valley of Fire are all within five hours by road.
The Strip is six kilometres long and walkable, but distances between hotels are deceptive: what looks adjacent takes twenty minutes.
What it really costs
Hotel rooms are artificially cheap: the casinos subsidise them. Against that, a daily resort fee is added at the property and is not included in the booking.
A car is essential for the parks, and it is the item that makes the budget of a worthwhile stay here.
What nobody tells you
The resort fee is charged at the hotel, on top of what you paid online, and can reach thirty to fifty dollars a night. The advertised price is never the final price.
Summer passes forty degrees from June to September. Hiking in the nearby parks then is dangerous, and deaths occur every year.
The Grand Canyon has two rims: the South Rim is four and a half hours away, the North Rim five and closes in winter. They are not the same viewpoints.