Cost of Living in Los Angeles, California
Rent, everyday costs and taxes in Los Angeles, what each job keeps after paying them, and how the city compares with the rest of the US.
- Population
- 3,869,089
- Median household income
- $82,263
- Cost of living (US = 100)
- 113.6
- Unemployment rate
- 6.7%
Is Los Angeles a good place to live?
Los Angeles is hard on a single typical paycheck: after taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, a typical worker living alone comes up $6,441 a year short. It works better for higher earners and for people who share housing.
Your own pay and housing may differ. Try your job
- Cost of living14% above the US average (BEA, 2024)
- Rent$2,558 a month for a 1-bedroom (HUD)
- Taxes$1,400 of state income tax on a typical wage
Cost of living in Los Angeles
Prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area run 14% above the US average. Housing is the biggest difference, at 70% above the US average.
- Housing70% above the US average
- Goods (food, clothing, cars)7% above the US average
- Utilities59% above the US average
- Other services (healthcare and more)4% above the US average
- All items14% above the US average
Monthly budget for one person
| Cost | Monthly | Yearly |
|---|---|---|
| Rent, 1-bedroom | $2,558 | $30,696 |
| Food | $526 | $6,312 |
| Transportation | $416 | $4,992 |
| Healthcare | $367 | $4,404 |
| Utilities | $413 | $4,956 |
| Total before taxes | $4,280 | $51,360 |
Rent by apartment size
| Monthly rent | Los Angeles | Whole metro area |
|---|---|---|
| Studio | $2,291 | $2,151 |
| 1 bedroom | $2,558 | $2,402 |
| 2 bedrooms | $3,156 | $2,964 |
| 3 bedrooms | $4,005 | $3,760 |
| 4 bedrooms | $4,481 | $4,208 |
Living in Los Angeles
How Los Angeles compares with the US on income, housing, work and commuting (Census Bureau, ACS 2024 1-year).
| Measure | Los Angeles | US |
|---|---|---|
| Median household income | $82,263 | $81,604 |
| Median home value | $947,900 | $360,600 |
| Median rent paid | $1,958 | $1,487 |
| Households renting | 64.1% | 34.7% |
| Unemployment rate | 6.7% | 4.6% |
| Living below the poverty line | 16% | 12.2% |
| Adults with a bachelor's degree or higher | 39.9% | 36.9% |
| Median age | 37.5 years | 39.2 years |
| Average commute, one way | 31.7 minutes | 27.2 minutes |
| Working from home | 16% | 13.3% |
| Commuting by public transit | 6.2% | 3.7% |
Home internet
4 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Los Angeles, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. Fiber reaches 37.2% of homes and 52.9% can get gigabit speeds. Compare providers in Los Angeles
Pros and cons of living in Los Angeles
Pros
Nothing stands out against the US average in the data we track.
Cons
- Paychecks don't stretch far. A typical worker living alone comes up $6,441 short each year after taxes, rent and everyday costs.
- Higher unemployment. Unemployment is 6.7%, against 4.6% nationally (ACS 2024 1-year).
- Higher cost of living. Prices are 14% above the US average (BEA, 2024).
- Pricey homes to buy. The median home is worth $947,900, against $360,600 nationally.
What your job keeps in Los Angeles
Pick a job, or enter your salary, to see what's left after federal, payroll, state and local taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs.
- Typical salary
- $55,850
- Federal income tax
- −$4,522
- Payroll taxes
- −$4,999
- State income tax
- −$1,400
- Rent, 1-bedroom
- −$30,696
- Everyday costs
- −$20,674
a year ($537 a month) for one earner renting a 1-bedroom alone
Pay: BLS OEWS Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Rent: HUD FY2027. Taxes: 2026 federal, state and local schedules for a single filer.
A single earner renting a 1-bedroom alone. Sharing housing, or a second income, changes this a lot.
What the most common jobs keep here
The 10 jobs we cover with the most workers in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area.
| Job | Median pay | You keep |
|---|---|---|
| Lawyer | $194,410 | $77,012 |
| Software engineer | $160,920 | $57,057 |
| Registered nurse | $135,560 | $42,412 |
| Project manager | $108,310 | $26,405 |
| Teacher | $101,040 | $22,061 |
| Accountant | $94,360 | $18,070 |
| Social worker | $74,148 | $5,939 |
| Truck driver | $60,340 | −$3,161 |
| Medical assistant | $47,760 | −$12,351 |
| Nursing assistant | $47,380 | −$12,629 |
Other jobs, A–Z
What each keeps in Los Angeles on its median pay. Pick one in the calculator above for the full breakdown.
- Auto mechanic −$1,349
- Carpenter $6,911
- Civil engineer $26,602
- Data scientist $39,050
- Dental assistant −$12,981
- Dental hygienist $35,146
- Dentist $44,970
- Diesel mechanic $7,912
- Electrician $5,733
- Financial analyst $22,790
- Firefighter $20,275
- HVAC technician $5,745
- Licensed practical nurse $9,078
- Lineman $39,455
- Mechanical engineer $35,678
- Nurse practitioner $57,374
- Occupational therapist $34,603
- Paralegal $7,999
- Paramedic $6,398
- Pharmacist $55,047
- Pharmacy technician −$10,159
- Physical therapist $26,322
- Physician assistant $57,617
- Plumber $4,085
- Police officer $34,569
- Radiologic technologist $26,237
- Respiratory therapist $24,212
- Speech-language pathologist $27,259
- Veterinarian $56,572
- Welder −$6,214
Compare Los Angeles with other cities
Compare Los Angeles with another city: any city or state, any of our 40 jobs.
Moving to Los Angeles
85 licensed interstate movers are based in Los Angeles, and 86 more elsewhere in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area (FMCSA, household-goods authority).
Questions people ask
Is Los Angeles, CA a good place to live?
Los Angeles is hard on a single typical paycheck: after taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, a typical worker living alone comes up $6,441 a year short. It works better for higher earners and for people who share housing. The typical worker here earns $55,850 and would be $6,441 short a year after federal, payroll and state taxes, a 1-bedroom rent and everyday costs, renting alone.
What is the cost of living in Los Angeles?
Prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area are 14% above the US average (BEA Regional Price Parities, 2024). A 1-bedroom rents for $2,558 a month (HUD fair market rent, FY2027), and everyday costs for one person, covering food, transportation, healthcare and utilities, come to about $1,723 a month.
How much do you need to earn to live in Los Angeles?
A single person renting a 1-bedroom alone needs about $64,800 a year before tax to cover taxes, rent and everyday costs, with nothing left over. The typical worker in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA area earns $55,850.
What is the average rent in Los Angeles?
HUD's fair market rent for FY2027 is $2,291 for a studio, $2,558 for a 1-bedroom and $3,156 for a 2-bedroom. The Census Bureau puts the median rent paid in Los Angeles at $1,958 a month (2024).
Does Los Angeles have a state or city income tax?
Yes. On a typical wage of $55,850, California state income tax comes to about $1,400 a year. Los Angeles has no local income tax on wages.
What internet providers serve Los Angeles?
4 providers offer home internet to at least a quarter of Los Angeles, led by Spectrum, T-Mobile, Verizon, AT&T. 37.2% of homes can get fiber and 52.9% can get gigabit speeds (FCC National Broadband Map).
Sources and method
Everyday costs: BLS Consumer Expenditure Survey 2024 (one-person households) × CPI-U to August 2026 × BEA Regional Price Parities 2024. Taxes assume a single filer with the standard deduction and wage income only.
- Census Bureau, Vintage 2025 population estimates
- Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates
- BLS OEWS May 2025, metropolitan area estimates
- HUD Small Area Fair Market Rents, FY2027
- BLS Consumer Expenditure Surveys 2024, Table 1400 (size of consumer unit)
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI-U)
- BEA Regional Price Parities by MSA, 2024
- FCC National Broadband Map, fixed broadband availability (data as of December 31, 2025, released 2026-09-29)
- FMCSA Carrier - All With History (operating authority and insurance)
Data compiled October 13, 2026. How we calculate