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 | Cary | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,538/mo | $1,791/mo | 14.1% lower in A |
| Median home value | $477,400 | $822,600 | 42.0% lower in A |
| Median household income | $125,317 | $76,244 | 64.4% higher in A |
| Groceries index | 104.0 | 104.0 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 102.4 | 82.4 | 24.4% higher in A |
| Transportation index | 91.5 | 100.5 | 9.0% lower in A |
| Healthcare index | 110.0 | 104.0 | 5.8% 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 Cary, you'd need $107,326 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Cary, NC is about 6.8% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 14% lower in Cary than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Cary, you'd need about $85,861 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.