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Los Angeles, CA Cost of Living Calculator
Prices in the Los Angeles, CA area are 13.6% above the US average, and housing 70.4% above (BEA, 2024). Compare a salary here with anywhere else.
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Los Angeles, CA price levels by category (US average = 100)
| Category | Price level | Against the US |
|---|---|---|
| All items | 113.6 | 13.6% above |
| Housing | 170.4 | 70.4% above |
| Goods | 106.6 | 6.6% above |
| Utilities | 158.6 | 58.6% above |
| Other services | 104.4 | 4.4% above |
What $75,000 in Los Angeles, CA equals in other large metros
| Metro area | Equivalent salary | Prices |
|---|---|---|
| New York, NY | $74,340 | −0.9% |
| Chicago, IL | $68,398 | −8.8% |
| Dallas, TX | $68,068 | −9.2% |
| Houston, TX | $65,097 | −13.2% |
| Washington, DC | $71,897 | −4.1% |
| Philadelphia, PA | $67,738 | −9.7% |
| Atlanta, GA | $66,087 | −11.9% |
| Miami, FL | $75,396 | 0.5% |
| Phoenix, AZ | $68,200 | −9.1% |
| Boston, MA | $71,501 | −4.7% |
How this calculator works
BEA regional price parities for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metropolitan area, 2024: the price of the same basket of goods and services against the US average (100). Equivalent salaries scale by the ratio of the two areas' price levels.
Questions people ask
Is Los Angeles expensive to live in?
Overall prices are 13.6% above the US average; housing is 70.4% above.
What salary do I need in Los Angeles, CA?
To match $75,000 in an average-cost place, about $85,200. The area's median household income is $95,958.
How much is rent in Los Angeles, CA?
The median gross rent (including utilities) is $2,063 a month (Census American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates).
How does Los Angeles, CA compare with New York?
New York prices are −0.9% relative to Los Angeles, CA: $75,000 here equals $74,340 there.
Nearby and large metro areas
- Riverside, CA
- San Francisco, CA
- San Diego, CA
- Sacramento, CA
- San Jose, CA
- Fresno, CA
- Bakersfield, CA
- Oxnard, CA
- Stockton, CA
- Modesto, CA
- Santa Rosa, CA
- Visalia, CA
- Vallejo, CA
- Santa Maria, CA
- Salinas, CA
- Merced, CA
- San Luis Obispo, CA
- Santa Cruz, CA
- New York, NY
- Chicago, IL
- Dallas, TX
- Houston, TX
- Washington, DC
- Philadelphia, PA
Related calculators
Sources
- BEA: Regional price parities by metro area, 2024
- US Census Bureau: American Community Survey 2020–2024 5-year estimates (median rent B25064, income B19013)
Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.