Cost of living comparison
compared to
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
Pasadena is 9.5% more expensive than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 0.1% less in Pasadena
- Groceries
-
pay 1.9% less in Pasadena
- Transportation
-
pay 22.7% less in Pasadena
- Housing
-
pay 23.9% more in Pasadena
- Childcare
-
pay 38.5% more in Pasadena
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 1.8% less in Pasadena
- Clothing
-
pay 30.3% more in Pasadena
The cost of childcare, clothing, and housing in Pasadena are more expensive than in Los Angeles. Expenses including transportation, groceries, entertainment and sports, and restaurants are lower in Pasadena.
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Pasadena instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 0.1% less for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
Pasadena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$18.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$11.50
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$3.17
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$2.88
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena - Cost of restaurants
pay 1.9% less for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
Pasadena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$4.85
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$7.99
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$5.50
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$8.33
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$1.65
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.76
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$1.10
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$2.62
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$2.50
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.06
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena - Cost of groceries
pay 22.7% less for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
Pasadena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$4.73
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$52.00
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
?? | |
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
?? | |
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena - Cost of transportation
pay 23.9% more for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
Pasadena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$71.25
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$3,433.33
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$2,666.67
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$201.53
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena - Cost of housing
pay 38.5% more for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
Pasadena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$3,900.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$15,000.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena - Cost of childcare
pay 1.8% less for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
Pasadena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$10.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$5.10
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
?? | |
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$35.00
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$19.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 30.3% more for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
Pasadena
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$90.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
?? | |
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$93.75
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$225.00
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena - 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
Change currency:
Help us improve these prices
MyLifeElsewhere is a collaborative project. Please enter price information for your location to help assist us in making these comparisons more accurate.
Learn more
ASK THE ELSEWHERE COMMUNITY
Join the Elsewhere community and ask a question about Pasadena or Los Angeles. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.