City comparison
Glendale, CA is about 10 miles (20 km) from Los Angeles, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 20 miles, or about 18 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 Glendale, CA to Los Angeles, CA takes about 2 min, covering roughly 10 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 194,512 in Glendale — about 20.0× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 30 sq mi for Glendale.
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 | Glendale | Los Angeles | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $2,002/mo | $1,791/mo | 11.8% higher in Glendale |
| Median home value | $992,000 | $822,600 | 20.6% higher in Glendale |
| Median household income | $81,219 | $76,244 | 6.5% higher in Glendale |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 106.4 | ≈ equal |
| Utilities index | 155.6 | 151.7 | 2.5% higher in Glendale |
| Transportation index | 104.4 | 104.0 | ≈ equal (Glendale slightly higher) |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 104.3 | ≈ equal (Glendale 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 Glendale, you'd need $99,225 in Los Angeles to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 0.8% cheaper overall than Glendale, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. If you earn $80,000 in Glendale, you'd need about $79,380 in Los Angeles to keep the same standard of living.