Los Angeles County · California
Cost of living in Los Angeles, CA
Price levels published by the Bureau of Economic Analysis for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, with the national average set to 100 — so 108 means things cost 8% more here than the US average.
Quick answer
Living in Los Angeles, CA costs 13.6% above the national average — an all-items price level of 113.6. To match the buying power of a $100,000 national-average salary you would need about $113,566 here.
- All items
- 113.6US average = 100
- Housing
- 170.470.4% above the national average
- Goods
- 106.66.6% above the national average
- Other services
- 104.44.4% above the national average
Price level by component
Where the difference actually comes from.
| Component | Index | vs US | What it covers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Goods | 106.6 | +6.6% | Groceries, fuel, clothing, durable purchases. |
| Housing | 170.4 | +70.4% | Rents and imputed rents — the biggest single swing factor. |
| Utilities | 158.6 | +58.6% | Electricity, gas, water and other household energy. |
| Other services | 104.4 | +4.4% | Healthcare, dining, repairs, personal services. |
What your salary is worth in Los Angeles, CA
Enter a salary. We deflate it by the local price level (113.6 where 100 is the US average) and show what you would need to earn here to match the same pay somewhere average.
- Real value here
- $70,766
- Needed to match US average
- $91,268
- Monthly difference
- $909
What a local paycheck is really worth
Nominal pay is only half the story.
The median household in Los Angeles earns $80,366. Deflated by the local price level, that is $70,766 in national-average dollars — the BEA calls this real income, and it is simply income × 100 ÷ 113.6.
More on Los Angeles
Same city, other datasets.
2024 BEA Regional Price Parities, published for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Parities are metro-wide, so a single neighbourhood can sit well above or below these figures.