City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 375 miles (600 km) from San Francisco, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 450 miles, or about 7 h 30 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 Los Angeles, CA to San Francisco, CA takes about 44 min, covering roughly 375 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 851,036 in San Francisco — about 4.6× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 47 sq mi for San Francisco.
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 | San Francisco | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $2,316/mo | 29.3% higher in San Francisco |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $1,348,700 | 64.0% higher in San Francisco |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $136,689 | 79.3% higher in San Francisco |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 103.9 | 2.4% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 162.7 | 7.2% higher in San Francisco |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 102.0 | 1.9% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.2 | 4.2% 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 $107,840 in San Francisco to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 7.3% cheaper overall than San Francisco, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 15% higher in San Francisco than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $86,272 in San Francisco to keep the same standard of living.