Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim cost of living
Prices in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA metro area run at 113.6 against a national average of 100, ranking it #3 of 387 metros. Rents there sit at 170.4.
What drives the number
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is one of the most expensive places the Bureau of Economic Analysis measures, at 113.6 against a national 100, ranking #3 of 387 metro areas. Prices run 13.6 per cent above national, which is enough to swallow a substantial pay rise on its own. Against California as a whole it is 2.9 points more expensive, which is the usual direction: cities cost more than the states around them.
Housing is doing nearly all of the work. Rents sit at 170.4 while goods sit at 106.6, a gap of 56.8 points between what it costs to live somewhere and what it costs to buy things. Someone who could reduce their housing cost here, by living further out or with fewer rooms, would remove most of the premium. Goods at 106.6 are themselves 6.6 points off national, which is a wide gap for a category that is mostly shipped in.
Comparing a job here against one elsewhere on the headline salary alone will mislead by roughly 13.6 per cent. Adjusting by the parity fixes that.
The vertical line is the national average of 100. Source: U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities, SARPP, 2024.
What the biggest local jobs are really worth
The same pay buys different amounts in different places, so a salary quoted in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim is not comparable to one quoted elsewhere until it is divided by the local parity. These are the occupations that employ the most people here, with the quoted median alongside what that median is worth at national prices.
| Occupation | Employed | Median pay | Worth nationally | U.S. median |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Health and Personal Care Aides | 350,610 | $34,600 | $30,458 | $34,900 |
| Fast Food and Counter Workers | 153,840 | $36,480 | $32,113 | $30,480 |
| Laborers and Freight, Stock, and Material Movers, Hand | 128,800 | $39,200 | $34,507 | $38,940 |
| Retail Salespersons | 122,120 | $36,580 | $32,201 | $34,580 |
| Cashiers | 114,090 | $36,120 | $31,796 | $31,190 |
| Office Clerks, General | 111,440 | $47,180 | $41,532 | $43,630 |
| Registered Nurses | 107,340 | $133,440 | $117,465 | $93,600 |
| General and Operations Managers | 102,370 | $127,610 | $112,333 | $102,950 |
Pay from the BLS metro survey, adjusted by dividing by the metro parity of 113.6.
Nearby metro areas
| Metro area | All items | Rents | Rank |
|---|---|---|---|
| San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont | 115.6 | 194.7 | #1 |
| Napa | 112.6 | 197.4 | #4 |
| San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad | 111.9 | 179.3 | #6 |
| Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura | 110.5 | 171.1 | #9 |
| San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara | 110.4 | 211.9 | #10 |
| Santa Cruz-Watsonville | 109.9 | 164.3 | #11 |
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim: common questions
Is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim expensive?
Prices are 13.6% above the national average, a parity of 113.6 where the country is 100. It ranks #3 of the 387 metro areas BEA measures. Against California as a whole it is 2.9 points more expensive.
What salary do you need in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim?
The median worker there earns $53,490, which buys what $47,086 buys nationally once local prices are taken into account. Comparing a salary offer between cities without this adjustment is comparing nothing useful.
Is housing the reason?
Usually. Rents here are at 170.4 against goods at 106.6. Goods barely vary between American cities because most are shipped and priced nationally; housing varies enormously, and it dominates any cost of living comparison.