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 | Boston | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,981/mo | $1,791/mo | 10.6% higher in A |
| Median home value | $684,900 | $822,600 | 16.7% lower in A |
| Median household income | $89,212 | $76,244 | 17.0% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.8 | 104.0 | 0.7% higher in A |
| Utilities index | 133.1 | 82.4 | 61.7% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 88.4 | 100.5 | 12.0% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 134.4 | 104.0 | 29.3% higher 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 Boston, you'd need $90,412 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 9.6% cheaper overall than Boston, MA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 10% lower in Los Angeles than in Boston. If you earn $80,000 in Boston, you'd need about $72,329 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.