?WhereToHQ

Residential comparison · 13 facts

La Mirada, CA vs Los Altos, CA

Compare the housing, tax, cost, income, safety, school, and climate facts that are available for both places. The table shows the numbers without declaring one city universally better.

A household earning $85,000 in La Mirada needs about $113,000 in Los Altos to keep the same lifestyle.
Coming from Los Altos, $85,000 of lifestyle costs about $57,500 in La Mirada.

A few differences

La Mirada vs Los Altos · facet by facet
FacetLa Mirada, CALos Altos, CA
Median home price$825,900$2,000,001
2-bedroom rent$2,068/mo$3,501/mo
Property tax rate0.75%0.75%
State & local income tax2.09%2.09%
Sales tax8.8%8.8%
Cost of living index143228
Groceries index112112
Utilities$245/mo$245/mo
Median household income$109,288$250,001
Unemployment rate5.2%5.2%
Crime index52/10052/100
School rating5.5/105.5/10
Sunny days / year260 days260 days

Data: Census ACS 2024 · BLS · Tax Foundation 2024 brackets · HUD/Zillow · NOAA 1991–2020 · FEMA NRI · Values are shown as reported; no universal winner is implied.

Full profiles: La Mirada, CA · Los Altos, CA
Questions & answers
Is La Mirada cheaper than Los Altos?
La Mirada has the lower day-to-day cost index (143 vs 228 against a national 100). The other differences are shown facet by facet in the table.
What household income in Los Altos equals $85,000 in La Mirada?
A household earning $85,000 in La Mirada needs about $113,000 in Los Altos to keep the same lifestyle; coming the other way, $85,000 of Los Altos lifestyle costs about $57,500 in La Mirada.