City comparison
Berkeley, CA is about 350 miles (550 km) from Los Angeles, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 425 miles, or about 7 h 15 min behind the wheel at highway speeds.
Driving distance is a rough estimate (great-circle × 1.25); driving time assumes a 60 mph blended average. Real trips run 10–20% longer with stops.
A direct flight from Berkeley, CA to Los Angeles, CA takes about 41 min, covering roughly 350 miles in a straight line. Connecting itineraries with a layover typically add 1–3 hours.
Block-to-block estimate at ~500 mph cruise, including taxi, climb, and descent — what an airline would publish, not pure airborne time.
Los Angeles has a population of 3,881,041, vs 121,385 in Berkeley — about 32.0× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 10 sq mi for Berkeley.
Population from US Census ACS. Land area from the Census Gazetteer (city proper, excluding inland water).
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 | Berkeley | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,067/mo | $1,791/mo | 15.4% higher in Berkeley |
| Median home value | $1,280,300 | $822,600 | 55.6% higher in Berkeley |
| Median household income | $104,716 | $76,244 | 37.3% higher in Berkeley |
| Groceries index | 108.1 | 106.4 | 1.6% higher in Berkeley |
| Utilities index | 168.3 | 151.7 | 10.9% higher in Berkeley |
| Transportation index | 106.1 | 104.0 | 2.0% higher in Berkeley |
| Healthcare index | 106.0 | 104.3 | 1.6% higher in Berkeley |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Berkeley, you'd need $91,523 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 8.5% cheaper overall than Berkeley, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 14% higher in Berkeley than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Berkeley, you'd need about $73,218 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.