City comparison
Cost indices by category, with the US city average (100) marked.
Index: 100 = US city average. Lower is more affordable.
Side-by-side costs, salaries, and sub-category indices.
| Metric | Asheville | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,250/mo | $1,791/mo | 30.2% lower in A |
| Median home value | $376,800 | $822,600 | 54.2% lower in A |
| Median household income | $63,810 | $76,244 | 16.3% lower in A |
| Groceries index | 100.7 | 104.0 | 3.2% lower in A |
| Utilities index | 98.0 | 82.4 | 19.0% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 85.7 | 100.5 | 14.7% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 100.9 | 104.0 | 2.9% lower in A |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Asheville, you'd need $121,547 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Asheville, NC is about 17.7% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 30% lower in Asheville than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Asheville, you'd need about $97,238 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.