Cost of living comparison
compared to
Palo Alto vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
Palo Alto is 32.6% more expensive than Los Angeles.
Palo Alto vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Palo Alto instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 9.2% more for restaurants
Los Angeles | Palo Alto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant | $25.00 | $30.00 | |
| Fast food combo meal McDonalds, or similar | $13.00 | $12.00 | |
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) | $2.83 | $3.30 | |
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) | $2.26 | $2.44 | |
Los Angeles vs. Palo Alto - Cost of restaurants
pay 24.9% more for groceries
Los Angeles | Palo Alto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Bread 1 loaf | $4.52 | $5.06 | |
| Local cheese (8 oz) | $6.67 | $11.39 | |
| Milk (1 gallon) | $4.71 | $5.85 | |
| Eggs 1 dozen | $7.43 | $6.26 | |
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) | $7.55 | $6.63 | |
| Apples (1 lb) | $2.60 | $3.22 | |
| Bananas (1 lb) | $1.27 | $1.18 | |
| Oranges (1 lb) | $2.00 | $2.37 | |
| Tomatoes (1 lb) | $2.17 | $3.01 | |
| Potatoes (1 lb) | $1.38 | $1.94 | |
| Onions (1 lb) | $1.22 | $2.19 | |
Los Angeles vs. Palo Alto - Cost of groceries
pay 3.9% more for transportation
Los Angeles | Palo Alto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) | $4.78 | $4.84 | |
| Monthly public transit pass | $93.48 | $90.00 | |
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | $32,727.50 | $36,753.89 | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | $18.01 | $19.06 | |
Los Angeles vs. Palo Alto - Cost of transportation
pay 27.2% more for housing
Los Angeles | Palo Alto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Internet connection 50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl | $74.01 | $68.78 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area | $2,536.54 | $3,600.00 | |
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center | $1,984.71 | $3,148.75 | |
| Utilities for two (700 sq ft apartment) including electric, gas, water, heating | $155.53 | $179.63 | |
Los Angeles vs. Palo Alto - Cost of housing
pay 57.9% more for childcare
Los Angeles | Palo Alto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly | $1,762.50 | $2,823.00 | |
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters | $27,000.00 | $42,000.00 | |
Los Angeles vs. Palo Alto - Cost of childcare
pay 2.1 times more for entertainment and sports
Los Angeles | Palo Alto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) | $8.00 | $8.00 | |
| Cappuccino in mid-range area | $5.76 | $5.83 | |
| Pack of cigarettes Marlboro or similar | $11.50 | $11.50 | |
| Monthly membership at local gym | $47.45 | $206.33 | |
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema | $18.00 | $16.00 | |
Los Angeles vs. Palo Alto - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 3.4% less for clothing
Los Angeles | Palo Alto | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Regular jeans Levi's brand | $61.25 | $67.50 | |
| Regular dress from H&M or similar store | $44.15 | $46.00 | |
| Running shoes Nike or Adidas | $100.09 | $88.89 | |
| Men's business shoes (leather) | $149.85 | $125.00 | |
Los Angeles vs. Palo Alto - 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: June 2026
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