Cost of living comparison
compared to
New York City vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
New York City is 34.5% more expensive than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 12.2% more in New York City
- Groceries
-
pay 17.0% more in New York City
- Transportation
-
pay 12.3% more in New York City
- Housing
-
pay 18.5% more in New York City
- Childcare
-
pay 95.5% more in New York City
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 72.9% more in New York City
- Clothing
-
pay 13.0% more in New York City
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, housing, groceries, clothing, and transportation in New York City are more expensive than in Los Angeles. Notably, childcare is significantly more expensive in New York City.
New York City vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in New York City instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 12.2% more for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$3.09
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$2.61
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New York City - Cost of restaurants
pay 17.0% more for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$4.75
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$8.89
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$6.05
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$7.20
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$7.07
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$3.29
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$1.08
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$2.60
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$2.68
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.63
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.78
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New York City - Cost of groceries
pay 12.3% more for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.47
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$132.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$36,344.69
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$22.39
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New York City - Cost of transportation
pay 18.5% more for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$67.59
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$4,037.06
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$2,496.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$151.98
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New York City - Cost of housing
pay 95.5% more for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$3,154.10
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$57,250.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New York City - Cost of childcare
pay 72.9% more for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$5.71
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$19.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$150.04
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$20.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New York City - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 13.0% more for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
New York City
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$67.80
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$49.94
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$115.58
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$168.76
|
|
Los Angeles vs. New York City - 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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