City comparison
Federal Way, WA is about 950 miles (1,500 km) from Los Angeles, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,200 miles, or about 20 hours (about 2 days at 10 h/day) 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 Federal Way, WA to Los Angeles, CA takes about 1 h 53 min, covering roughly 950 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 99,614 in Federal Way — about 39.0× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for Federal Way.
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 | Federal Way | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,660/mo | $1,791/mo | 7.9% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median home value | $454,300 | $822,600 | 81.1% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median household income | $80,360 | $76,244 | 5.4% higher in Federal Way |
| Groceries index | 104.0 | 106.4 | 2.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 95.7 | 151.7 | 58.5% higher in Los Angeles |
| Transportation index | 106.6 | 104.0 | 2.5% higher in Federal Way |
| Healthcare index | 106.6 | 104.3 | 2.2% higher in Federal Way |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Federal Way, you'd need $110,029 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Federal Way, WA is about 9.1% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 12% higher in Los Angeles than in Federal Way. If you earn $80,000 in Federal Way, you'd need about $88,023 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.