Cost of living comparison
compared to
Los Angeles vs. New York Cost of Living Summary
Los Angeles is 11.6% more expensive than New York.
- Restaurants
-
pay 17.6% more in Los Angeles
- Groceries
-
pay 10.7% more in Los Angeles
- Transportation
-
pay 7.2% more in Los Angeles
- Housing
-
pay 21.6% more in Los Angeles
- Childcare
-
pay 3.3% more in Los Angeles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 3.1% more in Los Angeles
- Clothing
-
pay 17.8% more in Los Angeles
The cost of housing, clothing, restaurants, groceries, transportation, and childcare in Los Angeles are more expensive than in New York.
Los Angeles vs. New York Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Los Angeles instead of New York, you would:
pay 17.6% more for restaurants
|
New York
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$20.39
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.80
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$2.45
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$1.86
|
$2.26
|
|
New York vs. Los Angeles - Cost of restaurants
pay 10.7% more for groceries
|
New York
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$3.78
|
$4.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.84
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.25
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$4.76
|
$7.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$5.49
|
$7.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$2.39
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.88
|
$1.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$2.16
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.38
|
$2.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$1.43
|
$1.38
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.63
|
$1.22
|
|
New York vs. Los Angeles - Cost of groceries
pay 7.2% more for transportation
|
New York
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$3.32
|
$4.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$95.86
|
$93.48
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) |
$33,821.80
|
$32,727.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) |
$19.88
|
$18.01
|
|
New York vs. Los Angeles - Cost of transportation
pay 21.6% more for housing
|
New York
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$65.63
|
$74.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$1,876.02
|
$2,536.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$1,567.68
|
$1,984.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$139.14
|
$155.53
|
|
New York vs. Los Angeles - Cost of housing
pay 3.3% more for childcare
|
New York
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$1,788.00
|
$1,762.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$24,966.76
|
$27,000.00
|
|
New York vs. Los Angeles - Cost of childcare
pay 3.1% more for entertainment and sports
|
New York
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$6.28
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.14
|
$5.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
$14.22
|
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$63.27
|
$47.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$14.99
|
$18.00
|
|
New York vs. Los Angeles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 17.8% more for clothing
|
New York
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$49.49
|
$61.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
$44.18
|
$44.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$85.00
|
$100.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$115.57
|
$149.85
|
|
New York vs. Los Angeles - 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 Los Angeles or New York. It's a free, question-and-answer based forum to discuss what life is like in countries and cities around the world.