Cost of living comparison
compared to
Washington vs. Los Angeles Cost of Living Summary
Washington is 12.9% more expensive than Los Angeles.
- Restaurants
-
pay 9.6% more in Washington
- Groceries
-
pay 3.4% more in Washington
- Transportation
-
pay 10.3% less in Washington
- Housing
-
pay 1.4% less in Washington
- Childcare
-
pay 49.6% more in Washington
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 32.5% more in Washington
- Clothing
-
pay 6.7% more in Washington
The cost of childcare, entertainment and sports, restaurants, clothing, and groceries in Washington are more expensive than in Los Angeles. Expenses including transportation and housing are lower in Washington.
Washington vs. Los Angeles Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Washington instead of Los Angeles, you would:
pay 9.6% more for restaurants
|
Los Angeles
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$25.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$13.00
|
$12.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.83
|
$3.20
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.26
|
$2.79
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Washington - Cost of restaurants
pay 3.4% more for groceries
|
Los Angeles
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.52
|
$4.43
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$6.67
|
$8.04
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$4.19
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$7.43
|
$4.55
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$7.55
|
$7.74
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.60
|
$2.95
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$1.27
|
$0.92
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.00
|
$2.20
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.17
|
$3.00
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.38
|
$1.35
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.22
|
$1.64
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Washington - Cost of groceries
pay 10.3% less for transportation
|
Los Angeles
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.78
|
$3.53
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$93.48
|
$77.50
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$32,727.50
|
$35,699.74
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$18.01
|
$16.73
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Washington - Cost of transportation
pay 1.4% less for housing
|
Los Angeles
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$74.01
|
$69.41
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$2,536.54
|
$2,568.48
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,984.71
|
$2,088.16
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$155.53
|
$146.54
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Washington - Cost of housing
pay 49.6% more for childcare
|
Los Angeles
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,762.50
|
$2,650.00
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$27,000.00
|
$40,166.67
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Washington - Cost of childcare
pay 32.5% more for entertainment and sports
|
Los Angeles
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$8.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.76
|
$6.07
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$11.50
|
$13.00
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$47.45
|
$103.76
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$18.00
|
$16.75
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Washington - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 6.7% more for clothing
|
Los Angeles
|
Washington
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$61.25
|
$76.00
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.15
|
$48.40
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$100.09
|
$104.31
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$149.85
|
$133.22
|
|
Los Angeles vs. Washington - 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 Washington 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.