Los Angeles County · California · West · 3.9M residents
Los Angeles, CA: cost of living, taxes & quality of life
Residential facts for Los Angeles: housing, taxes, monthly costs, climate, schools, and household income, with the California median as the yardstick. Compare it live against any of 3,000 US cities.
Data coverage: Curated city row; coverage varies by fact.
The median home value in Los Angeles is $950,000, 34% above the California median. A two-bedroom rents for about $3,100/mo. Day-to-day costs index at 149 against a national baseline of 100. The median household here earns $80,000 a year.
What the numbers show
Source-confirmed findingsLimited coverage: This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
This profile does not yet have enough source-confirmed local data for a city brief.
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates(2024 ACS 5-year; tables B01003, B15003, B19013, B25077). Geography: Census place where available. This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
WhereToHQ calculates the comparisons. Figures are estimates for context, not a guarantee or personal financial advice. Read the methodology or send a correction.
What makes this place distinctive
A factual snapshot of the place, based on the profile data. It is not a tourism or cultural claim.
A spread-out creative capital where film, food, and many diasporas share the same map.
Known for: Film and television, the arts, international food, beaches, and major cultural institutions.
Calendar note: The city hosts the Academy Museum and a wide calendar of film, music, and neighborhood events.
Story source: Los Angeles Tourism
- Scale: A major population center with more than one million residents in the profile data.
- Setting: The profile places Los Angeles about 15 miles from the nearest tracked ocean.
- Climate signal: The profile records 284 sunny days.
- Daily pace: The profile records a walk score of 69 and an average commute of 31 minutes.
WhereToHQ derives these signals from the committed city dataset. Read the methodology for coverage and source limits.
Compare Los Angeles side by side
Cost of living index
149
Median home value
$950,000
2-bedroom rent
$3,100/mo
Median household income
$80,000
Housing momentum
How fast Los Angeles's housing market is moving, ranked against the US cities we track.
25/100
Cooling
Ranks Los Angeles's home-price and rent growth against the US cities we cover. The label is relative pace, not a direction, so a market can rank low while some figures still rise. A higher score moves faster, it is not cheaper or better. Not investment or relocation advice.
Adjusted by Los Angeles's cost-of-living index versus the US average.
| Median home value | $950,000 |
| Price per sq. ft. | $660 |
| Property tax rate | 0.75% |
| 1-bedroom rent | $2,350/mo |
| 2-bedroom rent | $3,100/mo |
| State & local income tax | 2.09% |
| Sales tax | 9.5% |
| Cost of living index | 149 |
| Groceries index | 110 |
| Utilities | $205/mo |
| Transit pass | $100/mo |
| Gas price | $4.60/gal |
| Healthcare index | 105 |
| Childcare (per child) | $1,800/mo |
| Median household income | $80,000 |
| Unemployment rate | 5.2% |
| Population | 3.9M |
| Crime index | 48/100 |
| School rating | 6.0/10 |
| Walkability | 69/100 |
| Disaster risk | 100/100 |
| Avg. commute | 31 min |
| Sunny days / year | 284 days |
| July high | 82°F |
| January low | 49°F |
| Annual snowfall | — |
| Home price YoY | -0.9% |
| Home price MoM | -0.4% |
| Rent YoY | +0.5% |
| Rent MoM | 0.0% |
| Ocean coast | 15 mi |
| Big lake | 226 mi |
| Mountains | 20 mi |
| Major airport | 10 mi |
| Ski resort | 40 mi |
Popular comparisons
Nearby
- Florence-Graham, CA · 61k
- Huntington Park, CA · 53k
- South Gate, CA · 91k
- Lynwood, CA · 65k
- Compton, CA · 93k
Similar size
- San Diego, CA · 1.4M
- San Jose, CA · 990k
- San Francisco, CA · 830k
- Fresno, CA · 546k
- Sacramento, CA · 529k
Real listings in Los Angeles
Homes on Zillow ↗Realtor.com ↗Rentals on Zillow ↗Apartments.com ↗
Links open third-party listing searches. WhereToHQ has no paid relationship with these sites.
- What is the cost of living in Los Angeles, CA?
- Los Angeles indexes at 149 for day-to-day costs against a national baseline of 100, with a typical two-bedroom renting for $3,100/mo and a median home value of $950,000.
- How much does a house cost in Los Angeles?
- The median home value in Los Angeles is $950,000, 34% above the California median (compiled estimate; individual listings vary).
- How much is rent in Los Angeles?
- A two-bedroom in Los Angeles rents for about $3,100/mo.