Question 1

Is Boston or Los Angeles cheaper to live in?

Accepted Answer

Los Angeles, CA is cheaper. Estimated essentials for a single person run about $101/month less than in Boston, covering rent plus everyday costs. Typical rent is $2,941/mo in Boston versus $2,903/mo in Los Angeles.

Question 2

What salary do you need in Boston vs Los Angeles?

Accepted Answer

Living comfortably takes roughly $122,000/year before tax in Boston, MA and $122,000/year in Los Angeles, CA — a difference of about $0. Both figures are after state and local income taxes are accounted for.

Question 3

Is Boston or Los Angeles cheaper for a family?

Accepted Answer

Boston — which reverses the single-person answer. A four-person household runs about $10,978/month in Boston and $11,266/month in Los Angeles. Rent scales to household size using each city's own bedroom spread, and that spread is much steeper in some markets than others, so the cheaper city can differ by household.

Question 4

Should I move to Boston or Los Angeles?

Accepted Answer

It depends on what you weight. Los Angeles costs less month to month, but cost is one of six factors — jobs, safety, climate, housing and amenities all differ too. Compare them against your own income and priorities rather than a single ranking.

Metric	Boston51	Los Angeles47
Est. monthly cost (single)	$6,123	$6,022
Est. monthly cost (household of 4)	$10,978	$11,266
Salary for comfort	$122,000/yr	$122,000/yr
Typical rent	$2,941	$2,903
Median home value	$710,400	$879,500
Median household income	$94,755	$80,366
Unemployment	4.1%	5.3%
Housing score	10	2
Jobs score	32	25
Safety score	86	47
Climate score	86	100
Amenities score	70	100
Population	664K	3.9M
Summer high / winter low	81° / 22°	89° / 47°

Boston, MA vs Los Angeles, CA