City comparison
Los Angeles, CA is about 950 miles (1,500 km) from Tacoma, 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 Tacoma, WA takes about 1 h 53 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 219,234 in Tacoma — about 17.7× larger by population. By land area, Los Angeles covers about 470 sq mi vs 50 sq mi for Tacoma.
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 | Tacoma | Difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| Median rent | $1,791/mo | $1,489/mo | 20.3% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median home value | $822,600 | $415,300 | 98.1% higher in Los Angeles |
| Median household income | $76,244 | $79,085 | 3.7% higher in Tacoma |
| 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 Tacoma |
| Healthcare index | 104.3 | 108.8 | 4.2% higher in Tacoma |
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 $90,568 in Tacoma to maintain your standard of living.
Climate, safety, and demographics side by side.
Tacoma, WA is about 9.4% cheaper overall than Los Angeles, CA, based on our cost-of-living index. Housing costs are roughly 13% higher in Los Angeles than in Tacoma. If you earn $80,000 in Los Angeles, you'd need about $72,454 in Tacoma to keep the same standard of living.