City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 950 miles (1,500 km) from Seattle, WA 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 Los Angeles, CA to Seattle, WA takes about 1 h 55 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 734,603 in Seattle — about 5.3× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 84 sq mi for Seattle.
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 | Seattle | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $1,945/mo | 8.6% higher in Seattle |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $879,900 | 7.0% higher in Seattle |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $116,068 | 52.2% higher in Seattle |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 103.0 | 3.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 92.5 | 64.1% higher in Los Angeles |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 108.1 | 3.9% higher in Seattle |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 108.8 | 4.2% higher in Seattle |
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 $91,578 in Seattle to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Seattle, WA is about 8.4% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 11% higher in Los Angeles than in Seattle. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $73,262 in Seattle to keep the same standard of living.