City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 300 miles (500 km) from Sunnyvale, CA in a straight line. By road, the drive is roughly 375 miles, or about 6 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 Sunnyvale, CA takes about 37 min, covering roughly 300 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 154,573 in Sunnyvale — about 25.1× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 22 sq mi for Sunnyvale.
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 | Sunnyvale | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $2,990/mo | 66.9% higher in Sunnyvale |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $1,680,700 | 104.3% higher in Sunnyvale |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $174,506 | 128.9% higher in Sunnyvale |
| Groceries index | 106.4 | 105.1 | 1.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Utilities index | 151.7 | 153.8 | 1.4% higher in Sunnyvale |
| Transportation index | 104.0 | 100.7 | 3.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 100.6 | 3.7% 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 $113,573 in Sunnyvale to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Los Angeles, CA is about 12% cheaper overall than Sunnyvale, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 28% higher in Sunnyvale than in Los Angeles. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $90,858 in Sunnyvale to keep the same standard of living.