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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.

Prices in an average US city are 12.0% lower than in Los Angeles, CA, so $75,000 in Los Angeles, CA buys what $66,021 buys in an average US city.

The same living standard in an average US city
$66,021
Prices overall
-12.0%
Housing costs
-41.3%

Los Angeles, CA price levels by category (US average = 100)

CategoryPrice levelAgainst the US
All items113.613.6% above
Housing170.470.4% above
Goods106.66.6% above
Utilities158.658.6% above
Other services104.44.4% above

What $75,000 in Los Angeles, CA equals in other large metros

Metro areaEquivalent salaryPrices
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$75,3960.5%
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.

What it assumes

  • Before tax, and averaged across the whole metro area.

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

Related calculators

  • Cost of Living CalculatorWhat salary in another city gives you the same standard of living, from the Bureau of Economic Analysis's 2024 price levels for 193 metro areas.
  • Los Angeles, CA Rent Affordability CalculatorThe median rent in the Los Angeles, CA area is $2,063 a month including utilities, which takes 26% of the median household income ($95,958). Paying it on 30% of income needs about $82,520 a year.
  • Paycheck CalculatorWhat you take home from each paycheck after federal income tax, Social Security, Medicare and state income tax, with 2026 tax rates for every state.

Sources

Updated by the RateHerald team. The maths is tested against worked examples; report a problem.