City comparison
Brea, CA is about 30 miles (50 km) from Los Angeles, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 40 miles, or about 40 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 Brea, CA to Los Angeles, CA takes about 4 min, covering roughly 30 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 47,099 in Brea — about 82.4× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 13 sq mi for Brea.
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 | Brea | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,218/mo | $1,791/mo | 23.8% higher in Brea |
| Median home value | $834,600 | $822,600 | 1.5% higher in Brea |
| Median household income | $120,226 | $76,244 | 57.7% higher in Brea |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 106.4 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 155.6 | 151.7 | 2.5% higher in Brea |
| Transportation index | 104.4 | 104.0 | ≈ equal (Brea slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 104.3 | ≈ equal (Brea slightly higher) |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Brea, you'd need $98,756 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 1.2% cheaper overall than Brea, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 2% higher in Brea than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Brea, you'd need about $79,005 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.