Cost of living comparison
compared to
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena Cost of Living Summary
Los Angeles is 5.9% more expensive than Pasadena.
- Restaurants
-
pay 5.0% more in Los Angeles
- Groceries
-
pay 14.6% more in Los Angeles
- Transportation
-
pay 40.4% more in Los Angeles
- Housing
-
pay 17.7% less in Los Angeles
- Childcare
-
pay 12.6% more in Los Angeles
- Entertainment and Sports
-
pay 5.8% more in Los Angeles
- Clothing
-
pay 19.5% less in Los Angeles
The cost of transportation, groceries, childcare, entertainment and sports, and restaurants in Los Angeles are more expensive than in Pasadena. Expenses including clothing and housing are lower in Los Angeles.
Los Angeles vs. Pasadena Cost Breakdown
If you lived in Los Angeles instead of Pasadena, you would:
pay 5.0% more for restaurants
|
Pasadena
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Basic meal with drink at inexpensive restaurant |
$18.00
|
$25.00
|
|
|
Fast food combo meal
McDonalds, or similar
|
$11.50
|
$13.00
|
|
| Bottle of Coca-Cola (11 fl. oz) |
$3.17
|
$2.83
|
|
| Bottle of water (11 fl. oz) |
$2.88
|
$2.26
|
|
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles - Cost of restaurants
pay 14.6% more for groceries
|
Pasadena
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Bread
1 loaf
|
$4.85
|
$4.52
|
|
| Local cheese (8 oz) |
$7.99
|
$6.67
|
|
| Milk (1 gallon) |
$4.71
|
$4.71
|
|
|
Eggs
1 dozen
|
$5.50
|
$7.43
|
|
| Boneless chicken breast (1 lb) |
$8.33
|
$7.55
|
|
| Apples (1 lb) |
$1.65
|
$2.60
|
|
| Bananas (1 lb) |
$0.76
|
$1.27
|
|
| Oranges (1 lb) |
$1.10
|
$2.00
|
|
| Tomatoes (1 lb) |
$2.62
|
$2.17
|
|
| Potatoes (1 lb) |
$2.50
|
$1.38
|
|
| Onions (1 lb) |
$1.06
|
$1.22
|
|
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles - Cost of groceries
pay 40.4% more for transportation
|
Pasadena
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Gasoline (1 gallon) |
$4.73
|
$4.78
|
|
| Monthly public transit pass |
$52.00
|
$93.48
|
|
| New Volkswagen Golf 1.4 (standard edition) | ?? |
$32,727.50
|
|
| Taxi trip in downtown area (5 miles) | ?? |
$18.01
|
|
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles - Cost of transportation
pay 17.7% less for housing
|
Pasadena
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Internet connection
50 mbps or faster, cable/dsl
|
$71.25
|
$74.01
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment in downtown area |
$3,433.33
|
$2,536.54
|
|
| 1-Bedroom apartment outside city center |
$2,666.67
|
$1,984.71
|
|
|
Utilities for two
(700 sq ft apartment)
including electric, gas, water, heating
|
$201.53
|
$155.53
|
|
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles - Cost of housing
pay 12.6% more for childcare
|
Pasadena
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Private preschool for 1 child, monthly |
$3,900.00
|
$1,762.50
|
|
| Middle school for 1 child, two semesters |
$15,000.00
|
$27,000.00
|
|
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles - Cost of childcare
pay 5.8% more for entertainment and sports
|
Pasadena
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic/local beer (1 pint) |
$10.00
|
$8.00
|
|
| Cappuccino in mid-range area |
$5.10
|
$5.76
|
|
|
Pack of cigarettes
Marlboro or similar
|
?? |
$11.50
|
|
| Monthly membership at local gym |
$35.00
|
$47.45
|
|
| Movie ticket to theater/cinema |
$19.00
|
$18.00
|
|
Pasadena vs. Los Angeles - Cost of entertainment and sports
pay 19.5% less for clothing
|
Pasadena
|
Los Angeles
|
||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Regular jeans
Levi's brand
|
$90.00
|
$61.25
|
|
|
Regular dress
from H&M or similar store
|
?? |
$44.15
|
|
|
Running shoes
Nike or Adidas
|
$93.75
|
$100.09
|
|
| Men's business shoes (leather) |
$225.00
|
$149.85
|
|
Pasadena 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
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