The fair place to meet is Phoenix, AZ — the city closest to the midpoint of Albuquerque and Las Vegas. From the farther side that’s about 6 hr 55 min of driving.
Recommended midpoint
Phoenix, AZ
From Albuquerque
6 hr 55 min
330 mi to Phoenix
From Las Vegas
5 hr 22 min
256 mi to Phoenix
Las Vegas has the shorter trip; the split is off by about 1 hr 33 min. The alternatives below can even it out. Albuquerque and Las Vegas are about 482 miles apart.
Albuquerque and Las Vegas are about 482 miles apart by road. Split the difference and you arrive near Phoenix, the city closest to the halfway point between them. That puts roughly 6 hr 55 min of driving on the Albuquerque side and 5 hr 22 min on the Las Vegas side — the fairest single meeting point among the cities near the middle.
That's a half-day drive from each side, so Phoenix suits an overnight or a weekend rather than a quick coffee — long enough to want a reason to stay, short enough to drive.
If Phoenix doesn't have what you're after, Tucson and Salt Lake City are also close to the midpoint and worth a look — each keeps the drive reasonably balanced between Albuquerque and Las Vegas.
Phoenix is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Arizona. With over 1.6 million residents at the 2020 census, Phoenix is the fifth-most populous city in the United States and the most populous state capital. Read more →
Albuquerque is the most populous city in the U.S. state of New Mexico. Founded in 1706 as La Villa de Alburquerque by Santa Fe de Nuevo México governor Francisco Cuervo y Valdés, and named in honor of Francisco Fernández de la Cueva, 10th Duke of Alburquerque… Read more →
Las Vegas, colloquially shortened to Vegas, is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Nevada and the county seat of Clark County. It is the 24th-most populous city in the United States, with 641,903 residents at the 2020 census. Read more →
City descriptions adapted from Wikipedia (CC BY-SA); photos via Wikimedia Commons, credited above.
Estimates use straight-line distance and typical road speeds; real drive times vary with route and traffic.