Overall
113.6
Expensive
Metro cost profile · 2024 BEA RPP
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA
Cost-of-living indicators for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA, from Bureau of Economic Analysis Regional Price Parities, overall, goods, services, and rents vs the U.S. average of 100.
- 113.6
- Overall RPP
- #3
- of 387 metros
- 170.4
- Rents RPP
- $88K
- $100K national buys
Los Angeles ranks #3 of 387 U.S. metros by cost, and its overall price index has held steady since 2008.
- stable since 2008
- similar cost to Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach
The verdict
Los Angeles is more expensive than 99% of U.S. metros, an overall cost index of 113.6, 13.6% above the national average, led by rents at 170.4.
- top 1%
- by overall cost, nationwide
- 106.6
- goods RPP, tradable items
- 158.6
- services RPP, labor-priced
A $100,000 national salary carries the purchasing power of about $88,055 here; matching a $100K lifestyle takes roughly $113,566.
Latest BEA release change
What changed from 2023 to 2024
Los Angeles's overall RPP fell -1.2 points, from 114.7 in 2023 to 113.6 in 2024. The largest category movement was services, changing from 140.7 to 158.6. This is a relative change against the national benchmark, not a household's dollar bill.
RPP History (2008-2024)
The cost of living has remained relatively stable, changing by only 0.2 points over this period. The largest single-year move was in 2020, when the index jumped 2.9 points from the year before, a bigger swing than the full 2008-2024 change.
Los Angeles overall RPP, 2008-2024
Every year on record, national average = 100
| Year | Overall |
|---|---|
| 2008 | 113.3 |
| 2009 | 112.2 |
| 2010 | 112.5 |
| 2011 | 111.5 |
| 2012 | 112.1 |
| 2013 | 112.4 |
| 2014 | 112.2 |
| 2015 | 113.3 |
| 2016 | 111.3 |
| 2017 | 110.2 |
| 2018 | 111.0 |
| 2019 | 110.9 |
| 2020 | 113.9 |
| 2021 | 114.2 |
| 2022 | 113.3 |
| 2023 | 114.7 |
| 2024 | 113.6 |
Los Angeles vs every U.S. metro
Where this metro sits in the national cost distribution
114 Top 1% higher than 99% of 387 US metros
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US metros. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Source U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis, Regional Price Parities · 2024
Los Angeles cost breakdown
BEA RPP by category, 100 = national average
- Rents
Rents
170.4 RPP
- Services
Services
158.6 RPP
- Overall
Overall
113.6 RPP
- Goods
Goods
106.6 RPP
What this shows Los Angeles's cost structure is housing-led: rents at 170.4 depart furthest from 100, while services sits at 158.6. This is a rent-sensitive profile, not a claim that every local expense moves together.
Goods vs. housing, where Los Angeles's cost comes from
Metros near Los Angeles's overall cost, plotted by their goods price (horizontal) and housing price (vertical). Same headline RPP, very different structures.
Read the chart as text
- Los Angeles (Los Angeles, this metro): goods RPP 106.6, rents RPP 170.4
- Miami: goods RPP 103.6, rents RPP 155.6
- New York: goods RPP 110.3, rents RPP 148.6
- Napa: goods RPP 105.2, rents RPP 197.4
- San Diego: goods RPP 108, rents RPP 179.3
- San Francisco: goods RPP 108.5, rents RPP 194.7
- Seattle: goods RPP 104, rents RPP 151.3
Price Index Summary
Goods
106.6
Above avg
Services
158.6
Expensive
Rents
170.4
Expensive
Housing-led cost profile
How Los Angeles's cost structure works
Housing is the defining pressure in Los Angeles: rents index at 170.4, the furthest component above the national benchmark. The overall index of 113.6 places Los Angeles among the priciest 1% of metros nationwide; the rent line explains why a similar headline RPP can still require a different housing budget.
Across all reported metros, the closest component-profile matches are Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA, San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA. They resemble Los Angeles across goods, services, and rents together, so they are stronger structure peers than a place selected only because its overall RPP happens to be nearby.
Across 2008-2024, Los Angeles's overall index has stayed within 0.2 points. This is a relative price-level history, not a prediction or a personal affordability recommendation; pair it with current local wages and housing options before making a decision.
Salary Equivalent
A $100,000 salary at the national average cost of living equals:
$113,566
in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA purchasing power
$50,000 nationally
$56,783
$75,000 nationally
$85,175
$125,000 nationally
$141,958
$150,000 nationally
$170,349
$200,000 nationally
$227,132
Use the salary calculator for custom amounts.
Affordability score
F
2/100
How far the median local paycheck goes here, combining income and housing cost
Purchasing power
Not reported
Housing affordability F
2nd percentile
A weighted composite (60% purchasing power, 40% housing affordability) percentile-ranked against every other tracked metro; a missing input redistributes its weight rather than deflating the score. Sources: Census ACS 5-Year 2023 (income) + BEA Regional Price Parities 2024 (cost). Vintages differ by design; see methodology.
CA-relative analysis
Goods prices places Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA toward the top of CA's metros
Among the 25 CA metros PlainCost tracks with reported goods prices data, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA ranks #3 - the 88th percentile within the state. This is a different, narrower cut than the nationwide rank above: it compares Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA only against its own state's metros, not the full US field.
Goods prices
#3 of 25
88th percentile in CA
Services prices
#6 of 25
76th percentile in CA
Rent prices
#6 of 25
76th percentile in CA
Ranked by raw value (highest first); a higher rank is not automatically "more expensive is worse", see the national comparison above for direction context. This is a comparison within CA only, not a livability score.
Nationwide metros with similar overall cost or rent prices
Two BEA RPP-derived peer sets for Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA: nearest metros by overall regional price parity and by rents RPP. These are cross-state neighborhoods, not the in-state metro list below.
Similar overall RPP
Nearest metros by overall regional price parity (113.6 here).
Similar rents RPP
Nearest metros by rents regional price parity (170.4 here).
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA Rents 171.1 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA Rents 164.3 Boulder, CO Rents 157.0 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA Rents 151.4 Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA Rents 151.3 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV Rents 151.1 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area Rents 150.5 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH Rents 148.4
Other CA Metros
San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA 115.6 Napa, CA 112.6 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA 111.9 Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA 110.5 San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA 110.4 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA 109.9
View all CA metros → Cheapest in CA → Most expensive in CA →
Decision peers
Metros with a similar cost mix
These metros are closest to Los Angeles's combined goods, services, and rents profile. They may not have the same overall RPP, but their price pressures are shaped in a similar way.
Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 152.9 · Rents 171.1 Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 152.7 · Rents 164.3 San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA
Goods 108.0 · Services 174.2 · Rents 179.3 Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA
Goods 105.2 · Services 149.8 · Rents 151.4 Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT Metropolitan Statistical Area
Goods 97.3 · Services 147.1 · Rents 150.5 Boston-Cambridge-Newton, MA-NH
Goods 99.7 · Services 148.8 · Rents 148.4
Metros with Similar Cost of Living
These metros have an overall RPP closest to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA's index of 113.6.
Showing the 6 closest of 387 metro areas tracked nationally.
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Cost of living guides →, cheapest and most-expensive metro rankings, salary negotiation with RPP data, and step-by-step comparison walkthroughs.
Compare to Other Metros
What this means for Los Angeles
How to read Los Angeles's cost of living before a move, a job offer, or a budget.
- Budget to local prices, not headline pay, a $100K national salary spends like about $88,055 in Los Angeles. Salary calculator
- Start with rents: it indexes at 170.4, the largest departure from the national benchmark in this metro's BEA cost mix. Compare it with the other components before treating the overall RPP as a complete household budget.
- Compare Los Angeles head-to-head against a specific destination before you decide. Compare metros
RPP is BEA's annual price-level benchmark for the data year shown, not a live market quote. Pair it with current local wages and housing costs before deciding.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the cost of living in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has a Regional Price Parity (RPP) index of 113.6, meaning it is 13.6% more expensive than the national average. Goods are indexed at 106.6, services at 158.6, and rents at 170.4. It ranks #3 out of 387 U.S. metro areas by overall cost.
What salary do I need in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA to match $100K nationally?
To maintain the same purchasing power as a $100,000 salary at the national average, you would need approximately $113,566 in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA. Conversely, $100K earned in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA has the purchasing power of $88,055 at the national average.
How expensive is rent in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
Rents in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA are indexed at 170.4, which is 70.4% above the national average. This is significantly higher than typical U.S. rents.
Is Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA getting more expensive?
From 2008 to 2024, Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA's overall cost index changed by +0.2 points (from 113.3 to 113.6). The cost of living has remained relatively stable.
What costs the most in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
The priciest category in Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA is rents at 170.4, 70.4% above the national average. The most affordable category is goods at 106.6, 6.6% above average, still the lowest of the three categories.
What metros have a similar cost of living to Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA?
Metros with the most similar overall cost index include Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, New York-Newark-Jersey City, Napa. These areas have RPP values within a few points of Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA's 113.6.
Data sources
- BEA Regional Price Parities (RPP), the cost-of-living indices shown on this page
- U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey (ACS), gross-rent observations behind the rents component
- BLS Consumer Price Index (CPI), goods and services price relatives
- BLS Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics (OEWS), labor-driven services component
- HUD Fair Market Rents (FMR), 40th-percentile rent cross-reference
Every figure on PlainCost is rendered directly from BEA Regional Price Parity source data, no number is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, our changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of 2026-08-11. Rankings measure the published cost-of-living index only; we don't recommend where to live or rate any metro's quality of life.