Los Angeles County · California
Los Angeles cost of living (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
Los Angeles costs 13.6% above the national average — all-items price level 113.6, rank 4 of 94 covered metros. A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $113,566 here. Housing is the reason, at 170.4.
- 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. |
Reading the Los Angeles price level
What the 113.6 figure actually means for a household here.
Los Angeles prices sit 13.6% above the US average — an all-items parity of 113.6, rank 4 of 94 covered metros. That is expensive. The median covered metro reads 100.8.
Housing drives it: 170.4, 70.4% above average. Other services pull the other way at 104.4. The spread between the cheapest and dearest component is 66.1 points, so the headline number hides real variation — a renter and an owner in Los Angeles do not face the same cost gap versus the rest of the country.
A $100,000 national-average salary needs to be $113,566 here to buy the same basket. Run it the other way: the $80,366 median household income in Los Angeles is worth $70,766 in national-average dollars, 9.9% below the $78,538 US median. Local pay does not cover the local price level.
Parities are published for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA as a whole. Neighbourhood prices inside that metro diverge widely, and BEA revises the series annually.
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.
$80,366 median household income in Los Angeles is worth $70,766 in national-average dollars. BEA calls that real income: income × 100 ÷ 113.6.
Frequently asked questions
Common questions about this area.
- Is Los Angeles expensive?
- Yes — 13.6% above the US average, rank 4 of 94 covered metros. housing is the component furthest from average at 170.4.
- What salary do you need to live in Los Angeles, CA?
- $113,566 to match a $100,000 national-average salary. The local median household earns $80,366, worth $70,766 after adjusting for the 113.6 price level.
- Why is the cost of living high in Los Angeles?
- Housing at 170.4 versus other services at 104.4. A 66.1-point spread between components means one category, not general inflation, sets the headline figure.
More Los Angeles data
Other Los Angeles datasets on this site.
- Los Angeles population and income
- Los Angeles sales tax rate
- Los Angeles property tax
- Los Angeles home values and rent
- Los Angeles crime rates
- Los Angeles public schools
- Los Angeles weather normals
- Los Angeles commute times
- Los Angeles jobs and wages
Statewide: California cities · California ZIP codes · California sales tax · California counties
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.