Cost of living comparison
compared to
Irvine vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
Irvine is 0.1% cheaper than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 11.1% less in Irvine
- Groceries
-
pay 1.2% less in Irvine
- Transportation
-
pay 7.1% less in Irvine
- Housing
-
pay 6.6% more in Irvine
- Childcare
-
pay 26.6% more in Irvine
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 11.2% less in Irvine
- Clothing
-
pay 3.5% less in Irvine
The cost of childcare and housing in Irvine are more expensive than in Los Angeles. Expenses including entertainment and sports, restaurants, transportation, clothing, and groceries are lower in Irvine.
Irvine vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Irvine instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 11.1% less for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
Irvine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$11.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$2.67
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$1.90
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Irvine - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.2% less for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
Irvine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$5.58
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$6.22
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$4.62
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$4.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$9.15
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.90
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.74
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.75
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$2.48
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.47
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.36
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Irvine - Cost of groceries
pay 7.1% less for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
Irvine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.76
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$72.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$28,500.00
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$19.41
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Irvine - Cost of transportation
pay 6.6% more for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
Irvine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$74.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$2,538.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$2,525.00
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$153.80
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Irvine - Cost of housing
pay 26.6% more for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
Irvine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$1,841.67
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$40,160.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Irvine - Cost of childcare
pay 11.2% less for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
Irvine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$5.55
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$9.63
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$44.17
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$14.75
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Irvine - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.5% less for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
Irvine
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$69.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$40.75
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$77.00
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$156.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Irvine - Cost of clothing
The statistics used to build this comparison are calculated using data from users just like you.
We average the price of thousands of data points entered by users across the world.
Learn more about our data sources. Page last updated: December 2025
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