City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 850 miles (1,300 km) from Portland, OR in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 1,000 miles, or about 17 hours 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 Los Angeles, CA to Portland, OR takes about 1 h 39 min, covering roughly 850 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 646,101 in Portland — about 6.0× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 135 sq mi for Portland.
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 | Los Angeles | Portland | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $1,530/mo | 17.1% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $523,100 | 57.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $85,876 | 12.6% higher in Portland |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 105.1 | 1.2% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 108.6 | 39.7% higher in Los Angeles |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 100.5 | 3.5% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.5 | 3.8% higher in Los Angeles |
How much you'd need to earn in the other city to keep the same standard of living.
If you earn $100,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need $82,713 in Portland to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Portland, OR is about 17.3% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 35% higher in Los Angeles than in Portland. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $66,171 in Portland to keep the same standard of living.