Question 1

Is Los Angeles or New York cheaper to live in?

Accepted Answer

Los Angeles, CA is cheaper. Estimated essentials for a single person run about $202/month less than in New York, covering rent plus everyday costs. Typical rent is $2,903/mo in Los Angeles versus $2,910/mo in New York.

Question 2

What salary do you need in Los Angeles vs New York?

Accepted Answer

Living comfortably takes roughly $105,000/year before tax in Los Angeles, CA and $115,500/year in New York, NY — a difference of about $10,500. Both figures are after state and local income taxes are accounted for.

Question 3

Is Los Angeles or New York cheaper for a family?

Accepted Answer

New York — which reverses the single-person answer. Two adults with a pre-schooler and a school-age child run about $12,135/month in Los Angeles and $11,966/month in New York, including county-median childcare. Rent scales to household size using each city's own bedroom spread, and childcare varies even more sharply between cities, so the cheaper city can differ by household.

Question 4

Should I move to Los Angeles or New York?

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	Los Angeles49	New York44
Est. monthly cost (single)	$5,329	$5,531
Est. monthly cost (family of 4, incl. childcare)	$12,135	$11,966
Salary for comfort	$105,000/yr	$115,500/yr
Typical rent	$2,903	$2,910
Median home value	$879,500	$751,700
Median household income	$80,366	$79,713
Unemployment	5.3%	5.2%
Housing score	1	3
Jobs score	20	43
Safety score	47	47
Climate score	100	99
Amenities score	100	40
Population	3.9M	8.5M
Summer high / winter low	83° / 48°	84° / 27°

Los Angeles, CA vs New York, NY